The Hollister Fire Department is set to lose 12 of 41 firefighters on July 8 due to the loss of federal grant funding, according to the fire chief.
That would represent a 29 percent drop in staffing for a department that oversees protection for the entire county.
The city department also contracts with the county and San Juan Bautista for fire protection services as well, while the new firefighters have been disbursed at each of the four area fire stations.
The fire chief in an interview with the Free Lance on Tuesday said that the department’s arrangements with the city of San Juan Bautista and San Benito County are likely to face detriments due to the loss as well.
The Hollister Fire Department in 2014 received a $2.2 million SAFER grant and brought on 12 firefighters for a term of nearly three years each.
The federal grant standing for Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response increased the number of countywide firefighters from 28 to 40 at the time.
