From The Northern Virginia Daily
By Ryan Fitzmaurice
April 9, 2025
Shenandoah County, Va. –
The Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pursue a federal grant that could fund 27 full-time firefighter positions for three years — a day after residents pleaded for action following delayed EMS responses, particularly in Fort Valley.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, administered by FEMA, would cover salaries and benefits for the new positions, offering the county a temporary reprieve before needing to fund the roles locally. With the application window opening soon, the board authorized County Administrator Evan Vass to move forward and to hire a grant-writing consultant to strengthen the proposal.
“I want you to be aware that, if it’s requested, it pays for firefighter positions for a 36-month period — at the end of which you will be responsible for those positions,” Vass told the board.
Chairman Josh Stephens first suggested requesting nine positions, enough to fill relief roles. But Supervisor David Ferguson pushed for more, citing the county’s recent staffing study by the Center for Public Safety Management. The study identified major coverage gaps in Fort Valley, Toms Brook and Edinburg and recommended 27 additional positions over three years.
“We have the study,” Ferguson said. “If you’re writing the grant and you’ve done the study and can justify it, why would you not go with the full recommendation over a three-year period?”
The board began to coalesce around the idea.
Funding 27 positions permanently, once the grant expires, would cost the county roughly 3 cents on the real estate tax rate, supervisors said.
“You’ve got three years with their salaries paid to give us time to ramp up, train them and get them in service,” Ferguson said.
Supervisor Dennis Morris said he was persuaded.
“We probably couldn’t be in a better position,” Morris said. “We’ve got the study, we’ve got skin in the game already, and they know we’re serious. If I’m still on the board in three years, I will fund those positions. It’s not a matter of if we need them — it’s when.”
Supervisor Tim Taylor asked whether the county could apply for a smaller number now and reapply later. Ferguson cautioned against that approach.
“If you ask for nine this year and nine next year, you’re saying this is how you’ll always get your staffing,” he said. “Instead, we can say: We’ve done the study. We need them now.”
The board unanimously agreed to apply for all 27 positions and to hire a grant consultant due to the complexity of the process, the competitiveness of the program and the limited time remaining to file the application.