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Committee advances retroactive FEMA grants to Fire Department for PPE and four mini pumpers
Summary
The Budget & Finance Committee advanced two retroactive FEMA grant acceptances for the Fire Department: $883,000 for PPE for COVID-19 response and $636,000 to purchase four mini-pumper apparatus to reach areas not accessible by standard engines; department said retroactivity matches FEMA’s allowable reimbursement period and that no grant expenses will be incurred before Board approval for equipment.
The San Francisco Fire Department asked the Budget & Finance Committee on March 3 to retroactively accept two FEMA grants: an $883,000 award to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) used in COVID-19 response and a $636,000 award to buy four mini-pumper firefighting apparatus to improve access in areas such as Golden Gate Park, McLaren Park, Hunters Point and Glen Canyon.
Fire Department representative Mark Corso said FEMA allows eligible expenditures back to Jan. 1, 2020, and that retroactive language is included so the department may capture eligible costs in that earlier period. Corso listed typical PPE items (N95 masks, goggles, face shields and boots) and said the mini-pumpers are smaller, pickup-truck–sized vehicles intended for locations that larger rigs cannot reach. He said the department’s existing mini-pumpers are 18–23 years old.
Corso said the department coordinates with the Controller’s Office COVID cost-recovery unit to avoid duplicate reimbursement requests and emphasized that for the mini-pumpers the department has not incurred expenses and will not do so until the Board grants final approval.
Supervisors supported advancing both grants to the full Board, and the committee voted 3–0 to recommend both items. The Fire Department said it is also pursuing other state and federal funding streams for larger apparatus such as hose tenders.
