U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced that the Fiscal Year 2014 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant application period opens at 8 a.m. Monday. The application deadline is 5 p.m. March 6.

The SAFER application process requires a significan't amount of time to properly complete, and Cartwright asks that any affiliates who seek help with their application contact the appropriate district office.To reach the economic development specialist in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, contact Bill Hanley at 570-624-0140; in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, Bob Morgan at 570-341-1050; and in Northampton and Monroe counties, April Niver at 484-546-0776."Adequate staffing always has and always will be a key to keeping firefighters and communities safe from fires and the multitude of other emergencies agencies are called to answer," said Rep. Cartwright.The SAFER program has put thousands of firefighters back to work, giving a boost to public safety in struggling communities.