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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Lehi and Lone Peak fire departments will receive one-point-five (M)illion dollars from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to hire new officers.
With the new money, Lone Peak will see the number of full-time employees it has quadruple to a dozen. Lone Peak, which serves Alpine, Highland and Cedar Hills, is receiving 932-thousand dollars.
Lehi will add six firefighters to its full-time staff of eleven with the 621-thousand dollars it is receiving.
Lehi and Lone Peak are among 250 fire departments selected nationwide to receive funding this year. More than 1,700 departments applied.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Branda Napper calls the money a "jump start" for departments that need firepower but can't pay for it themselves.
But Napper says the firefighters aren't entirely free. The grant money declines over five years, forcing fire departments to pay a larger and larger share until they sustain the staff themselves.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
