Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Apply for and Accept, if Awarded, a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Hire Fire Department Personnel
Summary
MEETING DATE: August 6, 2012
DEPARTMENT: Fire Department
CONTACT: Neil Howard, Assistant Fire Chief
Janay Tieken, Grants Administrator
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
· Approval of Resolution for application and acceptance of the grant, if awarded.
ITEM SUMMARY:
· The goal of the SAFER grant program is to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities so that they may respond to emergencies whenever they occur, assuring their communities and firefighters have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards
· Staff requests approval to apply for an approximately $2,600,194 SAFER grant and acceptance of that amount, if awarded, to hire eighteen (18) additional firefighting/paramedic personnel for a two-year period
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
· The City recently opened Fire Station 8 with no additional personnel
· The City is striving to assemble a sufficient number of firefighters at a structure fire in compliance with NFPA 1710 and reach 4 person staffing on first-arriving suppression unit for structure fires as listed in OSHA 1910
· This grant for the hiring of new firefighters has a two-year period of performance that provides fire departments with funding to pay 100% of the salaries and benefits of newly-hired firefighters
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
· The total cost for the program is $2,860,546. The grant will provide $2,600,194 of this amount, which constitutes the actual personnel and FLSA required overtime costs. The City will pay a one-time cost of $117,000 for communications equipment and $143,352 in ongoing annual costs.
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
· N/A