$1.5M grant to help build Grand Rapids firefighter training facility

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The city of Grand Rapids is being awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to support firefighter workforce development.

The grant will be used to construct a five-story firefighter training facility, which is expected to go on a site near Alpine Avenue on the West Side. It’s expected to create 300 jobs, a release said.

The department of commerce said the grant will be matched with $1.5 million in local funds.

“The U.S. Economic Development Administration is proud to partner with the city of Grand Rapids as it builds a strong workforce,” Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Cristina Killingsworth said in a release. “This project will tackle a firefighter shortage throughout West Michigan and provide realistic training scenarios to ensure the safety of local residents and businesses, securing hundreds of good-paying union jobs over the next decade.”

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