What Happened?
Thanks to a financial agreement struck between city and union leaders, the Ceres Fire Department now will be able to retain six firefighters they would have lost once a federal grant covering their salaries runs out.
Goal
The city of Ceres, California, will dip into Measure H for $100,000 to cover the $393,000 in total expenses needed to keep the six firefighters on board through the end of the year. The city’s Measure H is a measure that designates a half cent local sales tax for public safety projects such as improvements to:
- Police
- Fire
- 9-1-1- emergency response
In addition, the city predicts $21,000 will be saved monthly in overtime costs, which can be put toward the salaries of the six firefighters as well. The Ceres City Council approved closing fire station #3 – which experiences the lowest call volume — and the reallocation of the station’s staff to other locations where call volume and demand is higher.
It was proposed by the Ceres Professional Firefighters Local union to close fire station #3 and restructure personnel into the schedule to prevent instances of overtime at other stations. There are vacancies open at some of the fire stations that can be filled by the six firefighters as well, helping cover expenses. Covering just one vacant firefighter currently costs the city about $104,000 annually in overtime shifts, the Ceres Courier reported.
Staffing Grant
Ceres was able to hire the six firefighters using a $1.03 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) two-year grant provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The city was unable to renew its funding from the grant before it ran out in September. The city and firefighter union came together to ensure a high level of public safety was provided with adequate fire department staffing.
SAFER grants are available to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest groups to increase or maintain the number of trained professionals protecting communities. The grants are designed to help local fire departments comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association.
The Piqua Fire Department in Ohio was recently awarded a SAFER grant to help add more “front line” firefighters to local fire stations. Prior to receiving the grant, the department was understaffed and unable to respond accordingly to the number of calls for fire and medical emergencies. The department received $344,684 to rehire two positions that were lost during budget cuts, and another $689,368 to hire four new firefighter/paramedic positions to meet rising demands, the Daily Call reported.
The local fire chief said the grant enabled the department to bring on talented professionals with niche training – such as handle hazardous materials or rope rescue - to make the team better able to tackle a variety of emergency situations.
Modernizing FD Operations
Gov1 has kept a close eye on the latest strategies for supporting efficient, successful fire departments amid tight budgets.