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Anacortes accepts FEMA SAFER award to add three firefighters; council presses staff on post-grant funding
Summary
The City of Anacortes accepted a FEMA SAFER grant that will fund three firefighter positions for 36 months. Fire Chief Harris and councilmembers discussed operational benefits of moving battalion chiefs into command vehicles and long-term funding options after the grant ends.
The Anacortes City Council voted Oct. 13 to accept a FY2024 FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant that will fund three firefighter positions beginning in 2026.
Fire Chief Harris told council the grant will offset payroll costs for 36 months (75% in year one, 75% in year two, 35% in year three). The department plans to unfund one assistant chief position and add three firefighters; the chief said that change effectively nets two additional uniformed positions while allowing battalion chiefs to operate from command vehicles and focus on incident command, training and oversight.
Harris said the reorganization will improve safety and operational command during complex incidents, reduce the need for battalion chiefs to perform hands-on tasks while also commanding incidents, and allow faster on-scene incident-command arrival. “When a major call comes in, we are immediately behind the curve as it relates to the operational status of the department,” he said, arguing that a dedicated battalion chief unit is a “force multiplier.”
Council members welcomed the operational rationale but pressed Harris and staff on how the city will pay for the positions once federal funding ends. Several members said long-term costs should be anticipated now; Harris pointed to EMS-levy revenues and the recent unfunding opportunity from an assistant chief resignation as partial offsets and said staff will analyze options including an ambulance utility or regional options.
Council action: Motion by Councilmember Hubick, second by Councilmember Young to authorize the mayor to accept the SAFER award and create three new FTEs beginning in 2026. The motion passed by recorded voice vote of councilmembers present.
What council asked staff to do: provide a follow-up analysis on long-term funding options for the SAFER-funded positions (including levy revenue assumptions, potential fee/utility options, and regionalization scenarios) before the grant term expires.
