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Springville approves hiring grant consultant to pursue $476,000 in firefighter grants
Summary
The council authorized a consultant to apply for three Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program awards — a $350,000 ambulance replacement, a ~$100,000 regional mobile air trailer, and a $26,000 hose grant — with the city responsible for roughly 5% matches and consultant fees if awards are made.
The Springville City Council voted to authorize a grant-writing consultant to help the fire department pursue three Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program (AFG) awards, Mayor Phillips said at the meeting.
Fire Chief Harvey told the council the city will seek a $350,000 vehicle grant to replace an ambulance, a regional mobile air-compressor trailer estimated at about $100,000, and an individual $26,000 grant to replace LDH hose. He said the department has been unsuccessful in prior ambulance applications but believes its existing transport history and an older vehicle strengthen the case. “We’re going to… $350,000 to replace our ambulance,” Chief Harvey said, summarizing the largest request.
Chief Harvey outlined the consulting arrangement and chances of success. He said the city proposes to engage JMCM Consulting — a firm the chief said the city has used with success — and that the consultant’s fee would be 6.25 percent of awarded funds. Chief Harvey described the grant competition as stiff: roughly 1,000 awards in a cycle with 7,000–8,000 applications, and he estimated the ambulance request as “about 50–50” while calling the air-trailer and hose applications stronger prospects.
If all three awards are made at the amounts discussed, Chief Harvey said the total award value would be about $476,000 and the city’s out-of-pocket match would be roughly $53,000 (the grants’ match requirement is about 5 percent). The chief stressed that JMCM’s experience increases the city’s chance of advancing to peer review and recommended engaging the consultant to prepare the applications.
Council members asked about competitiveness and noted prior dry spells in awards; Chief Harvey reaffirmed the city’s prior successes and the consultant’s track record. The council then voted to authorize the engagement. The motion to authorize the consultant was made by Ms. Reeves and seconded by Mr. Wolf; the mayor called the vote and said “the ayes have it.”
The authorization directs staff to execute the consultant engagement for AFG applications; it does not guarantee awards, and any awarded funds — and associated consultant fees — would be subject to subsequent accounting and appropriation. The council also recognized seven graduates of a local firefighter bridge program earlier in the meeting, with the chief introducing three Springville-based graduates and praising the program as a recruiting and training tool.
