Shakopee accepts FEMA SAFER grant to add 12 firefighters, city to cover initial match
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Summary
The Shakopee City Council voted to accept a FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant that will fund 12 new firefighter positions over three years; the city will set aside funds for the required local match and equipment costs.
Shakopee — The City Council approved a resolution on Oct. 21 accepting a FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant that will add 12 firefighter positions to the Shakopee Fire Department over a three-year period.
The grant covers part of the salary and benefits for new hires; the federal cost-share is partial with the city required to provide 25% of the costs in years one and two and 65% in year three. The department’s plan calls for three battalion chiefs, three captains and six firefighters to be added under the award. Chief Jason Simon recommended acceptance and said the grant will allow the city to move forward with a staffing plan developed in recent years without imposing a large immediate tax increase.
“We were very happy to receive word earlier this year that we had received a SAFER grant,” Chief Simon said, adding that the award helps the city meet national staffing standards and maintain continuous coverage. The council also heard from Andrea Harrell, the city’s grant coordinator, who said the federal grant portal was temporarily unavailable because of a federal shutdown but FEMA had extended the acceptance deadline.
City finance staff described the local budgeting approach. Assistant City Administrator Michael Reinhart (finance) said the administration proposes setting aside roughly $500,000 of fund balance at year end to cover the city’s first-year share and equipment/uniform costs not funded by SAFER. The remaining local shares would be incorporated into the 2027 and 2028 budgets as required by the grant schedule.
Council members asked about hiring challenges and long-term costs. Chief Simon said the department expects internal promotions and some external hires and estimated five to seven of the new slots could be filled from existing part-time staff. Council members also asked about cross-training and whether mechanical/driver duties would be changed; staff said firefighters are cross-trained and driver/engineer duties will continue to be handled by properly trained personnel.
The council adopted Resolution R2025Tech112 accepting the SAFER grant, approving the related 2026 budget amendments noted in the staff report, and authorizing the city administrator to execute agreements necessary to implement the award. The motion passed on a voice vote.
