Mass. Fire Dept. Receives $730K Grant for New Hires
Sept. 05—The Somerset Fire Department has been awarded a $731,032 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to hire an additional four firefighter/paramedics for the department for three years, but the selectmen still have to decide if they will accept the grant.
The grant would not pay the full costs for salaries and benefits for the firefighters over the three years. In the first two years of the program, the grant would pay for 75 percent of the costs of salaries and benefits for the four firefighters and then would pay for 35 percent in the third year. The town would have to pay the rest of those costs. Fire Chief Scott Jepson said he will meet with the selectmen to discuss the benefits of hiring the additional firefighters and what it will cost the town.
Chief Jepson said hiring the four additional firefighters would help the Fire Department to run its second rescue truck for medical calls more often. He said the shifts currently have seven firefighters on them, which allows them to run the two rescue trucks, but when there are firefighter/paramedics out on vacation or sick, they have to pay overtime in order to have the second ambulance on. He said that is done from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. which is the peak time for medical calls. He said it is not uncommon to have two medical calls at the same time.
Chief Jepson said hiring four additional firefighters also would help with fighting fires and other emergencies. He said firefighters go out on calls by themselves fairly regularly, which may not be safe for them or the public, and said hiring the additional firefighters would cut down on those types of instances.
In evaluating whether to accept the grant, Chief Jepson said the selectmen will look at the expected number of retirements at the Fire Department. During the three years that the town is receiving the grant, the Fire Department would be required to replace anyone who retired. But if the town decides not to continue with the grant after the five years, they could look at how long it would take to keep the firefighters hired under the program by attrition.
Chief Jepson said hiring the additional firefighters would reduce the department's cost for overtime and also would bring in revenue for the town, because there would be more calls with the rescue trucks that the fire department charges ambulance fees for instead of giving some of those ambulance runs out to mutual aid. The fire department currently pays for 11 firefighters through the fund that is generated through ambulance fees. The department has 31 firefighters.
Chief Jepson said that by the end of the grant program, the fire department will also be done paying for the lease/purchase of a fire engine which is $96,000 per year.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant program was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained front-line firefighters available in their communities. This grant is funded through FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Eligible applicants include local fire departments, fire districts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, tribal fire departments and State Fire Training Academies. The grant applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where the applications are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.
Chief Jepson praised firefighters Aaron Fisher, John Sulyma and Rob Durette for writing the grant. He said they did a great job. Chief Jepson assisted them in writing the grant.
"We're happily surprised that we got the grant," Chief Jepson said. "It's extremely competitive."
Selectmen Chairman Holly McNamara said it is a very positive thing that the fire department was awarded the grant. She said she is happy the fire department was able to achieve obtaining such a grant.
"They do a really great job, the whole department does," McNamara said. "They are always looking at ways to save money but still improve their crew, so I applaud them for their hard work."
McNamara said the selectmen have to take a look at all the costs to the town that come with the grant, before deciding if they would accept it or not, so that they will be fiscally responsible.
"We just have to be sure that we can afford it if anything goes awry," McNamara said.
