By AP
Tulsa, OK – Tulsa officials optimistic about firefighter grant
TULSA, Okla. (AP) Tulsa officials are awaiting formal confirmation that the city will get a $4.2 million federal grant to hire 46 firefighters.
The Tulsa World reports that the city has about 631 firefighters, compared with 676 in December 2009, because of the suspension of firefighter academies for more than two years.
The grant money will be used to pay new firefighters' salaries and benefits for two years. There are no provisions in the grant requiring the city to keep the firefighters beyond then if economic conditions worsen.
The grant stipulates that a firefighter academy would have to begin within 90 days. It takes 16 weeks of training for new recruits to become firefighters.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett says the recession affected the city's ability to maintain its fire protection services.