Warren won’t have to lay off fire fighters

Warren won’t have to lay off fire fighters

WARREN

The Warren Fire Department is able to rescind the 14 layoff notices the city sent last month following a last-minute one-year extension of a $5 million federal grant.

The layoffs were set to go into effect Monday.

But Ken Nussle, Warren fire chief, said he learned this morning that the department will get another year to spend some of the remaining $1.7 million left of the grant that the department first received in November 2010.

Nussle estimates the additional year will result in spending about $1.4 million of the remaining funds.

The original grant was for two years, ending November 2012, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allowed the department to extend the grant an additional six months ending Sunday.