Williston Commission votes 5-0 to decline FEMA SAFER grant for 15 firefighter positions

Williston, N.D. — The Williston City Commission voted unanimously Oct. 14 to decline a FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded to the Williston Fire Department that would have funded 15 additional firefighter positions over three years.

Fire Chief Matt Clark told commissioners the grant award from FEMA totaled $2.9 million with a City match estimated at about $1.8 million (described in the presentation as roughly 25 percent in years one and two, and 65 percent in the third year). Clark said the grant would fund 15 new hires and require restoration of two lieutenant positions that had been frozen during the budget process. He warned that not accepting the grant would reduce staffing levels at Station 2, lower minimum apparatus staffing, increase overtime and sick-time exposure, and could reduce the department’s Insurance Service Office score and accreditation standing if coverage standards were not met.

Commissioners pressed department leaders on long-term affordability, noting the city’s larger capital and debt obligations and an existing pattern of departmental overspending in recent years. Commissioners also raised concerns about the 30-day window to accept the award, potential requirements to amend the certified budget if the grant were accepted, and whether projected revenue sources (including Care Flight allocations and a proposed public safety sales tax) could reliably cover the city’s share after the grant period.

After discussion, Commissioner James Bervig moved to deny acceptance of the SAFER grant; Commissioner Brad Bekkedahl seconded. The motion carried 5-0, formally declining the FEMA award.

The decision means the department will not add the 15 positions under the SAFER award and will continue to pursue other staffing and training partnerships described during the meeting (including local paramedic training pipeline efforts with Williston State College). Fire department leaders said they will continue to identify operational options, including attrition and shifts in capital priorities, and noted time-sensitive implications for staffing if alternative funding is not found.

The commission’s vote was the last formal action on the item at the Oct. 14 meeting. The department’s presentation included the grant award date and administrative deadlines; no alternate funding plan to cover the full multi-year match was approved at the meeting.