Kent Considers FEMA Grant to Hire Firefighters

Kent safety officials are considering a grant that would pay to hire four new firefighters, but there's a catch.

The grant pays for the firefighters for the first two years. The full cost of those new firefighters then falls on the city in the third year and every year thereafter.

The estimated cost to the city in the third year would be $380,000.

The money comes from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The city has applied for the grant money in the past without success, but this year Kent made it into a secondary round of the program.

Kent Safety Director William Lillich said the grant covers basic wages and benefits, so expenses such as uniforms, training and equipment are still the city's responsibility in the first two years.

Lillich said the net cost to the city is $3,800 in the first year, $16,300 in the second year and $380,000 in the third year when the full cost falls on the city.

"And that’s what has us concerned," he said. 

Like so many other communities, Kent has felt the effects of the slow economy with in recent years. this year and next. Plus, this year the city will renegotiate contracts with its employee unions, and depending upon the negotiations those new contracts could increase the city's employee costs.

And the ongoing downtown redevelopment effort has the city leveraging thin margins on its part of the project, including its $4 million share for building two floors of parking in the .

All those reasons are why Kent City Manager Dave Ruller isn't ready to support going after the grant unless safety administrators in Kent can find a creative way to pay the city's share.

"It’s that third year that gives me some concern," Ruller said. "This would add people who are absolutely needed. But I want to make sure we have money to pay our people who are already on the staff."

The has 33 firefighters. Two are expected to retire in the next three years.

Kent Fire Chief James Williams said the grant is flexible, so the city can ask for money for one, two or three firefighters.

"When we made the original application for four firefighters, we had in mind three shift positions and one staff position," Williams said. The department is lacking in administrative staff, so adding an administrative firefighter would help with training coordination and inspections.

Williams said the grant pays about $619,000 of the total costs in the first two years.

"We gain four additional firefighters for a three-year period for $380,000," he said. "That’s the benefit basically."

Another catch with the funding is that if Kent has to lay off firefighters during the two-year grant period, then the city is considered in default by FEMA and the grant money would be rescinded. Award recipients must agree to maintain the SAFER hires and the number of staff declared at the time of the awared for the two-year grant period.

Lillich and Williams presented the grant idea to Kent City Council members Wednesday to ask their permission to continue with the grant process by maintaining talks with FEMA. The city has not committed to accepting the grant at this point.

"We have reached a point where we have received notice from FEMA that we need to respond to them that we’re interested in proceeding with the grant," Williams said.

Council authorized city safety officials to continue exploring the grant and report back to council should the opportunity arise for Kent to accept SAFER money or a method of paying the third-year costs be found.