City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 3, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of a Grant Application to the 2019 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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ISSUE: Consideration of a grant application to the 2019 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and its subsequent local funding impact.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve the submission of a grant application to FEMA for $3.2 million to partially fund the addition of 12 additional firefighters over a three-year period; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: On April 13, 2020, FEMA opened the competitive grant application period for the 2019 SAFER CARES grant program and on May 14 FEMA liberalized the regulations and eliminated the local match requirement. SAFER grants provide financial assistance to help fire departments increase the number of frontline firefighters. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the abilities of fire departments to comply with staffing response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The SAFER grant program provides funding to local fire departments to increase staffing and deployment for new positions added to a department. The grant only funds new positions added, it does not pay for existing positions. FEMA's recent grant requirement revisions were targeted by COVID-19's negative fiscal impact on local governments.
The 12 positions would be used as additional firefighters to cover situations wher...
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