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Gardner fire chief announces FEMA AFG award for radios, ambulance purchase and repairs
Summary
Fire chief reported an Assistance to Firefighters Grant approval for portable radios, near-full staffing after academy graduations, a $25,000 approved purchase of a used ambulance from Westminster and ongoing apparatus garage roof and vehicle repair challenges.
The Gardner fire chief told the City Council on Oct. 17 that the department’s FY2024 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant application for portable radios was approved and that the award will fund replacement of 15-year-old radios. "The amount of the award is $363,000.941 and 96¢," the chief said, and added that FEMA requires a 10% local match.
The chief said the department will need to seek the local match through the council and that federal timing remains uncertain because of a federal government shutdown; he said the department’s contractor grant writers helped secure the award. "This will provide the funding needed to replace our current 15 year old radios," he said, and estimated a 6–8 week lead time for delivery after receiving federal authorization.
Personnel remains near full strength after three recruit firefighters graduated the academy and were sworn in at a prior meeting. The chief said one firefighter remains on modified duty after a job-related injury and that overtime expenditures were high earlier in the fiscal year because of past vacancies but have since stabilized.
On vehicles and facilities, the chief said the council previously approved $25,000 to purchase a used ambulance from Westminster; the purchase will finalize after Westminster receives its new ambulance around the start of the year. He said Rescue 4 (a 2018 model) is out of service for mechanical issues, including a turbo replacement and an electronic module control failure that has about a four-week parts lead time. Work on the headquarters apparatus garage ceiling and insulation is underway, with interior repairs and painting planned before winter to reduce heating costs.
No formal council action on new fire spending was taken at the Oct. 17 meeting; the chief said he expects a future request for the local match related to the FEMA award.
