The city has been awarded a $1.5 million federal SAFER grant to hire eight new firefighters and pay them for two years, the city said. The announcement comes days after the city swore in seven other new firefighters at a City Hall ceremony. SAFER (an acronym for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grants give cities and towns funding to hire more firefighters than they may be able to afford. Mayor Michael J. McGlynn said that after a five-year hiring freeze, he is eager to fill personnel lost to retirements. He also said he is committed to keeping the eight firefighters on staff after the grant expires. “It actually puts us ahead of the game so we can absorb those positions at the end of the two years,” McGlynn said.