Tacoma's fire department has won a $7.7 million federal grant that will save 37 firefighter jobs and solve a big part of an increasingly urgent city budget shortfall.

The announcement of the funding was made Thursday by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell's office.

Acceptance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant award also ensures no firefighter in Tacoma can be laid off for two years.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax had held out hope Tacoma would land all or part of the fire grant, plus a federal Department of Justice COPS grant, as a way to close a lingering $11 million hole in the city's 2011-12 general fund. The city must balance its budget by year's end. If the grants did not come through, city officials have said layoffs were likely.

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Information from The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/