Governor DeWine Awards $7.7 Million for First Responder Wellness

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that 20 local first responder agencies will receive a total of $7.7 million to help them boost their staffing levels to ensure thorough coverage for emergency response.

The grants represent the second round of the new Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program. To date, Governor DeWine has awarded $9.4 million to 46 Ohio agencies as part of this program, which supports wellness needs of first responders such as stress and burnout caused by understaffing.

“By helping our first responder agencies bring their staffing levels up, we hope to ease some of the stress on current staff who are taking on added responsibilities,” said Governor DeWine.
A total of approximately $75 million will be awarded to law enforcement agencies, dispatch centers, fire departments, and emergency medical services agencies as part of this program in coming months.

In out region, entities receiving grant funding as part of the second round of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program are as follows:

.Indian Lake EMS (Logan County) will receive $222,397.68 to hire one full-time EMT/paramedic.

.Marion County Sheriff’s Office will receive $388,995.56 to hire two full-time deputies and one full-time dispatcher.

.Marion Police Department (Marion County) will receive $194,465.56 to hire one full-time officer.