FEMA grant means Waukegan can keep 5 firefighters

A $1.2 million federal grant means the Waukegan fire department will be able to keep five firefighters on the job.

Four of the Waukegan firefighters had been notified that they would be laid off.

The money for the Waukegan Fire Department was announced Wednesday and comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It's to be used to pay for salaries and benefits for five firefighters for two years.

Authorities say the department responds to 10,000 emergency calls and 250 fires a year. The department has five ambulances, four fire engines and a ladder truck. But officials say the department may not have always had enough firefighters to respond to more than one call at a time because of staffing levels.