Title
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Firefighter Grant Program (NB)
This item requests that the City Commission authorize an application for the 2010 Federal SAFER Grant Program for firefighter staffing funds.
Explanation
On August 16, 2010, the US Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Firefighter Grant Program. The program assists fire departments with increasing the number of firefighters available to respond to calls for service in order to meet staffing guidelines as established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in NFPA 1710. In part, the NFPA response guidelines describe a deployment goal for 90% of building fire dispatches of having four (4) fire suppression personnel on scene with one suppression apparatus within four (4) minutes from the time units begin responding. Gainesville Fire Rescue's staffing does not currently support four (4) personnel on engine companies and the department's minimum staffing requirement for an engine company is three (3) personnel. To achieve the NFPA 1710 goal, Gainesville Fire Rescue must frequently have more than one unit on scene within four (4) minutes.
Gainesville Fire Rescue currently staffs seven full-time stations with 132 combat personnel. The city has committed to the construction in FY11 of Fire Station 8 to address an identified service gap in the northwest area. Staffing this station will require an additional 13 personnel. Since SAFER program funds for hiring must be used for salaries and associated benefits for new, full-time firefighter positions only, application of these funds would support staffing of Fire Station 8.
For FY10, SAFER grants are being awarded differently due to the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the Supplemental Appropriation Act, 2009. For FY10, no cost-share match is required and no salary limits ...
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