Administration officials told the Anchorage Assembly that the federal SAFER grant that has assisted fire staffing will create a budget gap if not renewed and that state and federal reimbursement lines used for emergency medical transports (identified in the session as SEMT) are projected to decline in 2026, complicating potential funding for the Mobile Crisis Team and other services.

The numbers: OMB staff said that if SAFER funding ends in its current form in 2026, the municipality would face roughly a $2.6 million deficit that would require general-government backfill to maintain the positions funded by the grant. In describing the SAFER timeline, municipal staff said there would likely be a one-year gap before the city could be eligible for a subsequent round of SAFER funding and that future SAFER awards include a municipal match requirement estimated in the transcript at roughly 20'30 percent.

SEMT and Mobile Crisis Team: Staff said SEMT reimbursement (state/federal transport reimbursement) is projected lower in preliminary estimates and that the ACFAR reporting delays have affected reimbursement timing. "Right now, we have the budget projection is that we are going to lose SEMT funding so that there wouldn't be any additional SEMT money above our current baseline," an OMB presenter said. The administration noted that SEMT differential dollars above baseline could be used for AFD operations or for other needs, but current projections do not show extra SEMT revenue available for new commitments.

Scale and staffing: Staff said the current SAFER-funded positions total 18 firefighters supported over the grant term. An administration official said that the municipality has not yet achieved full "four-pack" staffing status across all stations, though progress has been made.

What the assembly asked: Members asked for details about where PCNs (position control numbers) reside, how the SAFER positions are distributed across stations and what match requirements would be for future SAFER funding. Staff agreed to follow up with detailed ACFR/SEMT and SAFER documentation for committee review.

Ending: Administration staff agreed to provide more detailed budget documentation and to work with the assembly as the proposed budget is finalized; no formal funding decision was made during the work session.