Dawson County Emergency Services has completed the hiring process for nine new firefighters/EMTs stationed at fire station No. 2 after the department was awarded a $1.5 million federal grant in 2017. Station No. 2, located on Hwy. 53 near Tractor Supply, serves the heavily populated 400 corridor where Fire Chief Lanier Swafford said he can justify the need for additional staffing. “From our perspective it just provides some increased safety from our staff because sending one or two firefighters on an engine to a location with the footprint the size of Kroger or Home Depot, it’s hazardous because you need additional people just based on the size of the properties they’re protecting,” said Swafford.