REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 14, 2023
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to United States Department of Homeland Security for the Fiscal Year 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
1. Approve grant application to the United States Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency for the Fiscal Year 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant in the amount of $13,151,880 for the addition of 21 Firefighter-Paramedic positions over a three-year period, commencing on or about June 2, 2023, through May 31, 2026, to enhance services in certain areas within the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District.
2. Designate a Deputy Chief as the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Federal Emergency Management Agency Authorized Organization Representative for the United States Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency Fiscal Year 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant.
3. Authorize the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Federal Emergency Management Agency Authorized Organization Representative to electronically sign and submit the grant application identified in Recommendation No. 1.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this grant application will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) is seeking a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in the amount of $13,151,880 for the salary and benefit costs of 21 new Firefighter-Paramedic (FF-PM) positions over a three-year period, commencing on or about June 2, 2023, through May 31, 2026. At the end of this period, SBCFPD will pursue other revenue sources for continued funding of the positions. If no replacement funding is realized, operations will be assessed, and the incumbents may be moved to existing positions that have become vacant through attrition and the grant-related positions will be deleted or other vacant positions may be deleted as needed to continue the operations as detailed in the background information. There are no matching funds required for this grant application.
Budget adjustments are not requested at this time but will be included in a future Board Agenda Item presented to the Board of Directors (Board) for approval, should grant funds be awarded.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Grant Programs Directorate for the United States Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for implementation and administration of the SAFER grants. SAFER grants provide financial assistance to local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities for help in responding to emergencies, assuring communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. SAFER grant funds must be used for new positions and cannot be used to fund existing staff positions.
SBCFPD provides services to residents and visitors within the cities/communities it serves. There is a vast amount of undeveloped federal land within SBCFPD’s service area that comprises much of the area served but does not contribute property taxes. Some of these areas are in places where there are few residents but numerous travelers, such as Interstate 15 that connects Southern California to Las Vegas and Interstate 40, across the Mojave Desert. Award of a SAFER grant would enhance service capabilities for SBCFPD in areas such as Interstate 15 and Interstate 40, the Phelan area, Havasu Landing, areas in the high desert, and portions of the City of San Bernardino and the City of Upland.
SBCFPD is seeking Board approval for the submittal of an application to the United States Department of Homeland Security for Fiscal Year 2022 SAFER grant funds. The funds would be used by SBCFPD to add 21 new FF-PM positions with the purpose of improving staffing levels to attain a more effective level of response and a safer incident scene. More specifically, the 21 positions would be added to enhance 24-hour shifts at seven locations within the aforementioned service areas. SBCFPD’s typical shift schedule for an engine requires three staff, but these locations currently only have two staff per shift. The grant would add three staff total (one per shift) at each of these locations to create additional three person engines. Adding a FF-PM position to these two-person squads would increase the level of service from the current medical response unit to a medical response and fire suppression response engine, thus augmenting the current response capabilities and increasing the versatility of service SBCFPD provides to these areas. This includes providing enhanced Advanced Life Support to the people who visit or live in these areas. Adding these new FF-PM positions would not result in the need for acquiring additional vehicles since this would be accomplished through the transfer of existing fire engines from reserve status to front-line status.
This grant application must be submitted via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants management system, FEMA Grant Outcomes (FEMA GO). The system allows users to apply, track, and manage grants including SAFER. Recommendation No. 2 designates an SBCFPD Deputy Chief as the Authorized Organization Representative who is able to submit the grant application in the FEMA GO system. Recommendation No. 3 will allow SBCFPD’s Authorized Organization Representative to electronically sign and submit the grant application in the FEMA GO system on behalf of SBCFPD.
SBCFPD’s Board had previously approved SBCFPD to submit SAFER grant applications (on January 25, 2022, Item No. 56, and on March 9, 2021, Item No. 50). However, those applications were unsuccessful. SBCFPD requested feedback from FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate regarding the evaluation of the applications. SBCFPD has incorporated this feedback into the Fiscal Year 2022 SAFER grant application. If awarded, the SAFER grant would provide funding for 21 positions over the period of the grant. At the end of the grant term, should future grant funding not be awarded, SBCFDP will pursue other revenue sources for continued funding of the positions. If no replacement funding is realized, the incumbents will be moved to other FF-PM positions that have become vacant through attrition and the positions added as part of the grant award will be deleted.
Submission of the application is a non-binding process and if this application is successful, SBCFPD will return to the Board for acceptance of the grant, approval of the new positions, and authorization for related budget adjustments.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Council (Scott Runyan, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 28, 2023; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on March 2, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on March 2, 2023.