City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 3, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Grant Application to the 2020 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Personal Protective Equipment related to COVID-19.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of a grant application to the 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant CARES ACT grant to reimburse the City for expenses related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Ratify the submission of a Fire Department PPE grant application for $992,416; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is an annual grant available to Fire Departments through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA sets high priority items within the grant each year for Fire Departments nationwide. The Fire Department has received these grants in 2015, 2017, 2018, and applied for the 2019 grant (application under review). On April 24, 2020, FEMA released the AFG 2020 CARES grant which is only focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies related to COVID responses.
DISCUSSION: The AFG 2020 CARES grant allows departments to apply for expenses related to PPE and cleaning supplies. The grant allows departments to apply for reimbursement of expenses incurred since January 1, 2020. Alexandria is eligible for an application of no more than $1 million with a required local match of 10%.
The Fire Department has identified $992,416 worth of expenses that have already occurred. These are believed to qualify as high priorities within this grant and be likely for reimbursement. These estimated amounts and categories the Fire Department is seeking federal funding for are:
- $178,288 for decontamination equipment & supplies for rooms
- $6,978 for gloves
- $4,644 for thermometers
- $5,243 for disinfectant/sanitizer
- $152,103 for N95 & N100 masks
- $24,750 for disposable surgical masks
- $476,508 for isolation gowns
- $27,599 for eye goggles & face shields
- $116,303 for individual respirator systems and filters
Staff has already submitted an application for this grant which was due on May 15. If City Council denies this grant application, staff can withdraw the application.
FISCAL IMPACT: All of the items listed in this grant have already been purchased by the City’s Emergency Operations Center at the request of the Fire Department which has been using many of these items already. Other items are being used to replenish a cache of supplies that will likely be needed in the future.
The grant offers a 90% reimbursement rate at maximum, so this grant will be eligible for $893,174 of federal revenue if the full amount of the grant request is awarded by FEMA.
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
Corey Smedley, Fire Chief