The Fire Chief told the council he wants to prepare for upcoming grant opportunities and asked whether the city wants staff to pursue them and how the council prefers to be notified.

He listed potential sources including CenterPoint (a 50/50 match for equipment), the Firefighters Charitable Foundation, and federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) programs. "I'd like to be prepared," the chief said, adding the federal applications may require professional help due to updated submission systems. He identified extrication equipment as a priority, estimating a cost between $40,000 and $50,000.

Council members said grants should target clearly defined needs and not "frivolous" purchases; one council member recounted an earlier federal grant of about $266,000 and recommended using an experienced grant writer (named in the discussion) to improve chances on competitive federal applications.

Separately, the Fire Chief revisited a prior discussion about personnel: he recommended moving district chiefs and captains on the paid-on-call side from a two-year reapplication cycle to appointed positions to provide operational continuity, while leaving lieutenants on term appointments to preserve promotional opportunities. Council members generally favored four-year appointments with staggering and asked the chief and staff to put the approach into policy language.

The chief will pursue grants and staff will draft a written appointment policy to return to the council.