First respondersDHS grant saves St. Louis firefighters' jobs
Thirty St. Louis, Missouri firefighters caught a break last week after the city received a $3.2 million grant from DHS; the city had planned on cutting their jobs, but the DHS grant will allow the firefighters to stay employed;the money comes as part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program which is aimed at helping local fire departments maintain adequate staffing levels; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the grant and plans to allocate $420 million this year to fire departments across the country that have been hit by budget cuts
St. Louis firefighters battle a 5-alarm blaze // Source: firenuggets.com
Thirty St. Louis, Missouri firefighters caught a break last week after the city received a $3.2 million grant from DHS.
The city had planned on cutting their jobs, but the DHS grant will allow the firefighters to stay employed.
Last Wednesday, Representative Russ Carnahan (D – Missouri) announced the receipt of the grant to the firefighters who were more than pleased with the news.
Aaron Buchanan, a local firefighter and single father of two, said, “Out of all these talks, this is by far the only good news we’ve had. I work seven days a week to pay for them. This would kill me. If I got laid off, I don’t know what I’d do.”
The money comes as part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program which is aimed at helping local fire departments maintain adequate staffing levels. The grant is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which plans to allocate $420 million this year to fire departments across the country that have been hit by budget cuts.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and the fire department have been locked in tense negotiations for the past several weeks. Slay threatened to lay off thirty fire fighters if they could not come to an agreement on how to cut ballooning fire pension costs which have recently increased by an additional $5 million, setting the department on track to exceed its budget by $2.5 million.
Jeff Rainford, Mayor Slay’s chief of staff, said that layoffs may still occur as federal rules for the grant require layoffs.
While the grant may save some jobs in the short-term, Rainford says that the city and the fire department must come to an agreement on how to reduce spending on firefighter’s pensions.
Next year, St. Louis will have to spend $23.1 million dollars to cover firefighter’s pensions, nearly twice the amount paid two years ago.
The two-year grant affords the city some additional time to come to an agreement.
Chris Molitor, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 73, said the firefighters are currently working on a deal with the city to see how many jobs can be saved.
East St. Louis was also recently awarded a SAFER grant and was consequently able to re-hire twenty-two firefighters that were laid off last May.
