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Committee approves federal grants for firefighter gear and regional training
Summary
The Public Safety and Public Works Committee moved forward two resolutions accepting federal grants for firefighter personal protective equipment and for regional fire training; city will cover small local matches and gear will come from sole distributor McQueen.
The Benton Harbor Public Safety and Public Works Committee on Wednesday moved forward two resolutions accepting federal grant awards to buy firefighter personal protective equipment and to fund regional fire training.
The first resolution authorizes acceptance of a federal grant of $109,714.28 to purchase firefighter personal protective equipment. The Public Safety Department told the committee the city budgeted $140,000 for the purchase and the grant requires a 5% local match of $19,965.72, which the department said will reduce the city’s out‑of‑pocket cost. "The Public Safety Department received a grant from the federal government for $109,714.28 to purchase firefighter personal protective equipment," a Public Safety Department representative said. The supplier named in the materials is McQueen; the department said McQueen is the sole distributor for the specified turnout gear and the purchase would not be bid competitively for that reason. The department said the purchase will supply 26 sets of new gear.
The committee also advanced a second resolution accepting a federal grant of $124,136.36 to provide regional fire training. According to the department, about 17 departments are expected to participate and the contractor BlueCard (BlueCard Command) will supply instructors and licensing. The grant requires a roughly 10% match (approximately $12,413); the department said that match will be split among participating departments and depend on how many jurisdictions take part.
Assistant City Manager questions about whether the gear is all new were answered in the affirmative: "26 sets of new gear," the department confirmed. Committee members praised the fire department’s growth and grant‑writing efforts and expressed support for both items. The committee approved both resolutions by consensus; no roll‑call vote was recorded in the meeting transcript.
The department’s materials included a written quote from McQueen outlining itemized costs for the turnout gear. Committee members noted the grants will lower the city’s planned capital outlay for protective equipment and that the training grant would strengthen regional firefighting capacity.
No legal or statutory citations were raised in discussion. The department indicated the training program’s final local cost share will depend on participating departments’ contributions.
