TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Peter D. Lear, CPA, CGMA, City Manager
TITLE: An application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a grant to hire new firefighters under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program and to authorize the City Manager to approve the funding agreement should the grant be awarded to the City.
Recommended Action
Approve the application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a grant to hire new firefighters under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program and authorize the City Manager to approve the funding agreement should the grant be awarded to the City.
Background Information
Fire Rescue has applied for a FEMA grant for 21 new firefighters to backfill existing positions which will be reassigned to staff a paramedic-quint and ambulance to enable North Port Fire Rescue's provision of fire and Emergency Medical Services in the West Villages. Due to the short, month-long application period, staff was unable to present this application to Commission prior to submission of the application.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program is to provide funding directly to fire departments to assist departments to improve staffing levels to ensure they have adequate personnel to respond and safely perform at incident scenes, providing protection from fire and fire-related hazards in their communities. This activity provides three-year grants to assist fire departments by paying the salaries and benefits of the SAFER-funded positions. This grant requires a 25% local match for the first and second years and 65% local match the third (final) year.
If awarded, staff believes the funding proposed in the FY 2018-19 budget for the initial staffing of personnel for the West Villages' station would be sufficient to meet the first 12-month period local match and operational expenses such as: protective equipment and un...
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