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Bowling Green to use FEMA grant for firefighter cancer screenings and PPE; commission confirms 12 hires
Summary
Commission accepted an Assistance to Firefighters Grant to fund comprehensive cancer screenings for the department and cover PPE; commissioners also approved probationary appointments of 12 firefighter recruits at the meeting.
The Bowling Green Board of Commissioners approved acceptance of a Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant worth $188,615.49 and confirmed the probationary appointment of 12 firefighter recruits.
City staff said the FEMA award carries a required 10% local match of $18,008.61 and will fund comprehensive cancer screening for all 170 firefighters, plus personal protective equipment replacements. Deputy and fire department leaders described the screening program as a full abdominal ultrasound, carotid artery scan and CT scans for lungs and heart, intended for early detection of cancers that department leaders said have been a leading cause of line-of-duty deaths nationally. “When we were awarded this grant, that was one of the most important days of my career,” the deputy chief said, adding the city has lost three firefighters to cancer in the last decade.
Commissioners also approved municipal order 2025-232, which appointed 12 probationary firefighters — recruits drawn from a pool of nearly 189 applicants who advanced through written tests and interviews. The city manager explained five of those hires were funded as new positions in the FY26 budget and the others fill anticipated retirements. Staff said the new recruits will report to the city’s training center and begin a 16-week training cycle starting Monday.
The FEMA grant and the appointments passed by roll call vote. Staff said the grant will be used this year to accelerate department-wide screenings rather than phasing them in by age or tenure.
