REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: KERRI L. DONIS, Fire Chief
Fire Department
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the Fire Chief to apply for the 2021 SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant, deadline for submissions is February 4, 2022.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended Council authorize the Fire Chief to apply for the 2021 SAFER grant pursuant to the resolution passed by council on September 4, 2020.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2022 SAFER grant opened on January 3, 2022 and will close on February 4, 2022. Prior to submission of the application, this item is being brought before the council to ensure it remains the will of the Council to apply. With this SAFER application, the Fire Department seeks to hire twenty four (24) firefighter recruits under the grant. The grant pays for all salaries and benefits, excluding overtime pay, for all recruits for a period of 36 months. Note: There is no requirement to retain the firefighters following the 36 month performance period.
BACKGROUND
The Fresno Fire Department currently has 347 authorized sworn safety positions serving a population of 537,000 residents. This firefighter per capita rate of 0.65 members per 1,000 residents is one of the lowest in the State and country for comparable cities. The increasing population and demand for services requires the Department to expand its capacity to preserve and improve service levels. With the approval of this application, the Department would increase the number of members’ on-duty each day by adding a 4th firefighter to several apparatus and increase Department’s ability to meet the challenges of responding to 47,000 calls for service each year with our growing population. It would also help meet the challenges of attrition and relief pool shortages. Should council approve this grant, adding 24 new members, the per capita ratio would be .69 per thousand residents. The state average is .92 members per thousand residents.
Under the grant, the Fire Department intends to hold a 16-week drill school in July 2022. Recruits for the drill school would be hired through an open general population recruitment, casting a wider net for a pool of applicants. General population recruitments normally require a sixteen (16) week drill school to ensure adequate training is received.
Once the recruits are ready for service, the department intends to add a 4th firefighter to five (5) engine companies, furthering the Department’s ability to meet NFPA 1710 industry standards of having 4-0 staffed apparatus, improved response times and effective firefighting forces for emergency calls for service. Plans also include adding one Firefighter Specialist to each of three shifts for Fresno Yosemite International Airport and hiring for attrition.
Currently, members in a 3-0 staffed company cannot make entry until a second company arrives with additional firefighters. However, with a 4-0 staffed company, two members can immediately make entry to a structure without the delay of the next arriving apparatus. In many fire emergencies every second can be critical. This staffing improvement would provide for an additional five (5) fire engines to have 4-0 staffing, meeting the “Two-in-Two-out” firefighter safety requirement and result in 17 of the Department’s 20 engines to be staffed with 4-0 staffing. This would improve the Department’s ability to meet the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 1710 standard regarding appropriate apparatus staffing, which states, “Personnel assigned to the initial arriving company shall have the capability to implement an initial rapid intervention crew (IRIC).”
Adding a Firefighter Specialist to FYI Airport improves the 18-year-old 2-0 staffing model to 3-0 staffing daily, providing an improved service delivery for emergencies at our extremely fast-growing International Airport. Hiring six (6) additional firefighters for attrition (the Department averages 6-9 retirements annually) will allow the Department to get in front of vacancies that are currently happening and plan for the future, thus maximizing efficiency in recruit schools and the impacts related to sworn vacancies.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This item is not a project as defined by CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this item is a re-appropriation of an existing project.
FISCAL IMPACT
There will be no Fiscal Impact in Fiscal Year 22. Costs will commence in Fiscal Year 2023. A cost schedule accompanies this report detailing the 3-year expected fiscal impacts to the General Fund, and Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Net of grant reimbursements, the fiscal impacts to the General Fund will be as follows: Fiscal Year 2023 - $978,565; Fiscal Year 2024 - $337,893; Fiscal Year 2025 - $332,740. Costs to FYI will be as follows: Fiscal Year 2023 - $139,050; Fiscal Year 2024 - $214,165; Fiscal Year 2025 - $201,431.
Attachment: 3 Year Costing for SAFER Recruitment