SAFER Grants Bring Relief...at Last

My initial reaction when I heard that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the first round of Fiscal Year 2009 SAFER grants on March 31 can be summarized in one word: Finally.

Many of you probably felt the same way.

I know how hard it’s been the past two years for our locals across North America as the recession has skewered public budgets, led to widespread layoffs and jeopardized public safety and the safety of our members. Numbers don’t lie — the fact that DHS received 2,128 applications for nearly $1.25 billion in grant requests for Fiscal Year 2009 underscores that this unrelenting recession has left many of our locals with staffing shortages.

For the 49 fire departments fortunate enough to be included in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) first round of grant recipients last month, I know the funding comes at a crucial time (see story on page 16).

For those affiliates that have had layoffs, the grants will get fire fighters from the unemployment lines to the frontlines almost immediately.

By our rough calculation, the $55.8 million in SAFER grants likely represents about 550 fire fighter jobs.

And for those departments still in the pipeline and awaiting their SAFER grant, it simply can’t come fast enough. But it’s important to remember that much more help is on the way. The $55.8 million in SAFER grants awarded in March represents about one-third of the total amount of funding we expect fire departments to receive from FEMA in Fiscal Year 2009 funding, and we expect even more in Fiscal Year 2010, when $420 million will be available.

The first round of funding exposed some very serious concerns about the process that FEMA used to distribute funding. As we scanned the list of departments that will receive first-round funding, we knew there was a problem with the process FEMA used to compile that list.

So we met with DHS officials on April 6 to ask them why some departments that laid off fire fighters weren’t getting grants in the first round.

Last year, stakeholders recommended that applications from departments with layoffs should be given the highest priority and should get funding before any other departments. It was also proposed that departments with reductions in force would be given second-highest priority and that departments that wanted funding to hire new personnel to make them compliant with NFPA standards would earn consideration next.

But FEMA failed to follow our recommendations. In our April 6 meeting, FEMA officials admitted that they ignored the ranking system proposed by stakeholders.

As you can imagine, we were disappointed by that news. They had no sound defense for their decision to ignore what national fire service organizations had unanimously recommended.

After our meeting, senior DHS/FEMA officials assured us that from now on they will give the highest priority to departments with layoffs.

SAFER funding addresses the single-most pressing issue in the fire service — staffing. After the recession began in December 2007, mayors and city managers everywhere began to balance their budgets by laying off fire fighters and other public employees.

We know how important it is to the safety of residents and our members to have all rigs fully staffed, and we know that we must do everything we can to get our members back on the job — to protect your safety and the safety of residents in the communities we are sworn to protect.

Despite this unfortunate snafu with some of the first round of SAFER grants, we must give FEMA credit for being responsive to us so far.

They essentially allowed us to change the rules that govern the use of SAFER grants so we can use the funds to rehire fire fighters who have been laid off and restore positions that are not being filled as a result of the current financial crisis. In addition, SAFER grants apply to municipalities that issued layoff notices before October 31, 2009, and have not yet taken effect.

And DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano helped us by delaying the 2009 application process to ensure that the $210 million that Congress appropriated for SAFER for Fiscal Year 2009 and the $420 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2010 are available under the new guidelines.

We have worked hard to ensure greater access and eligibility to SAFER grants and increase the total amount of money available, and DHS and FEMA have been true partners all along the way, recognizing the devastating effect that the country’s economic condition is having on fire departments, our locals and the public safety of people in communities across the country.

We know how badly you need the funds from SAFER. When FEMA awarded its first round of SAFER grants last month it was an important step — but it was just a first step. For many of our locals, SAFER funding is a lifeline, and we are doing everything we can to extend that lifeline to you.

2010 Legislative Conference Wrap-up

I have just a few thoughts on our 2010 Legislative Conference.

It was great to see so many of you attend what I routinely describe as one of the IAFF’s most important annual events.

We were in a new space this year — the Hilton Washington — that provided us noticeably more space.

I was very pleased with our lineup of bipartisan speakers (see story on page 12). Every year we strive to ensure that the Conference provides the best information and most recent updates on our impressive legislative efforts. I think we accomplished that this year.

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