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Peekskill seeks $386,000 AFG grant to replace firefighters' breathing gear
Summary
City staff and the fire chief asked the council to move forward with an Assistance to Firefighters Grant application for 48 new self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) — roughly $8,500 each, totaling about $386,000 — and noted the city has budgeted a 10% match. Staff also said a grant writer offered to prepare the application for $1,500.
Fire department leadership told the common council the department is behind on meeting updated NFPA standards for SCBAs and is planning to apply to FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for replacement gear.
“We would like to order 48 new units. And, each 1 of them is $8,500. So we're interested in applying for a total of approximately $386,000,” the city manager said while introducing the item. Staff explained the grant requires a 10% local match and that $38,000 has been budgeted for that match.
Council discussed hiring a grant writer to prepare the application; staff said the writer who assisted on a prior SAFER staffing grant offered a discounted fee of $1,500 to prepare this AFG application. The fire chief reiterated the safety rationale: several SCBA components are now out of date with NFPA revisions and replacing breathing apparatuses and turnout gear is central to firefighter safety and resident protection.
Council members signaled support for pursuing the grant and asked staff to return with the formal resolution and the exact budget line for the grant-writing fee. No final council vote on the grant application or contract was recorded during the public session.
