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Trenton Delays Pending Layoff Of 61 Firefighters

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Dozens of firefighters in New Jersey's capital city will keep their jobs for at least a few more weeks.

Trenton officials say the layoffs of 61 firefighters that was slated to occur Jan. 5 has been pushed back a month.

That comes as the city waits to hear whether its fire department will get a multimillion-dollar grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Fire department officials say Trenton can't call off the layoffs because the threat of impending job losses is an issue that officials must consider in deciding whether to award the grant, which could be worth $13 million over two years.

Trenton has 221 fire personnel, 21 below the number called for by city ordinance, and officials say losing 61 people could endanger public safety.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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