Rockland County $1 million SAFER Grant.

[EJS1810 7]

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $1 MILLION FIRE GRANT COMING TO ROCKLAND COUNTY

Funding Will Go to Rockland County Emergency Services, Inc as Part of U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Firefighters Grants Program

Schumer Has Continually Pushed for Funding to Assist Fire Departments and First Responders

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Committee to Promote Volunteerism on Rockland County Emergency Services, Inc. will receive a total of $1,019,500 from Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/record.cfm?id=310937

Great win for Rockland. Does anyone have any details on what the grant will be used for?

[helicopper 1,050]

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $1 MILLION FIRE GRANT COMING TO ROCKLAND COUNTY

Funding Will Go to Rockland County Emergency Services, Inc as Part of U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Firefighters Grants Program

Schumer Has Continually Pushed for Funding to Assist Fire Departments and First Responders

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Committee to Promote Volunteerism on Rockland County Emergency Services, Inc. will receive a total of $1,019,500 from Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/record.cfm?id=310937

Great win for Rockland. Does anyone have any details on what the grant will be used for?

Agreed, great for Rockland. But the question remains - how is a million dollars going to be used to "promote volunteerism"? Advertising? Incentives? What? That's a lot of money and I'd really like to learn more about their plans. Perhaps it could be used as a model for other areas in the State.

[Guest]

The real purpose of the SAFER act was to hire FireFighters, I think in this dayy and age with the economy as it is, we should consentrate all our SASFER resources on getting folks jobs and preventing lay-offs and re-hiring any firefighters laid-off. I realize that recruitment and retention of volunteers are part of SAFER, however, that should be revisited in the future and at the moment let all the money go for SAFER's orginal intention

[SageVigiles 1,194]

With all due respect Chief, I'm gonna have to disagree with you. The purpose of SAFER is to increase the number of trained/qualified firefighters that show up to a scene within a community. In order to get the grant, they must have outlined some sort of plan to recruit/retain volunteers. In these tough economic times, volunteer manpower is down just like career manpower is going down. I give Rockland credit for acknowledging there is a problem and trying to do something about it. SAFER should be available to all types of departments, we all know the money is needed.

[Bnechis 3,961]

The purpose of SAFER is to increase the number of trained/qualified firefighters that show up to a scene within a community. In order to get the grant, they must have outlined some sort of plan to recruit/retain volunteers.

For career and Volunteers SAFER is administered differently.

For career depts. we have to outline how many additional personnel we will hire, then every 3 months we have to report how many additional personnel are actually on-duty /responding to calls. If we fail to maintain the original number we may have to pay all the money back, including the money that was already spent to hire personnel.

For VFD's they set a goal and need a plan, and get to spend the money. If the number of volunteers does not go up or even if it goes down, is there any penalty? I cant find one in the guidance.

So career has to prove they can perform and volunteers have to try to perform. This is not a fair way to spend tax money. This is politics.

[Raz 14]

According to the Homeland Securtiy grant seminar I attended in Irvington about a month ago, when a volunteer department is given a SAFER grant, it's treated as a "free lunch." That's exactly how the guy described it. I was floored at the discrepancy in fiscal responsibility between career and volunteer departments. I wouldn't have believed it, if I didn't hear it straight from the source.

It's an outrage, quite honestly.

[ex-commish 490]

For career and Volunteers SAFER is administered differently.

For career depts. we have to outline how many additional personnel we will hire, then every 3 months we have to report how many additional personnel are actually on-duty /responding to calls. If we fail to maintain the original number we may have to pay all the money back, including the money that was already spent to hire personnel.

For VFD's they set a goal and need a plan, and get to spend the money. If the number of volunteers does not go up or even if it goes down, is there any penalty? I cant find one in the guidance.

So career has to prove they can perform and volunteers have to try to perform. This is not a fair way to spend tax money. This is politics.

There should be a penalty. We are talking about tax money which is being pissed away as it is.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Sorry but I find the awarding of a million dollars worth of grant money for the purpose of recruitment/retainment or whatever else it is called today absolutely ridiculous. That money should be what it was mainly designed for the hiring of professional firefighters or to increase the staffing for those departments who need more staffing yet their municipalities put more bodies on garbage trucks then they do fire trucks. What is a million dollars going to do to change the trend of the steady decline in people coming in the door and the 2 out of 3 going back out the door within 2 to 3 years of joining? Absolutely nothing. There is no return on this investment of federal funding. But meanwhile I'll sit and read forums about how insane and wrong any other bailout money that goes to programs designed to improve the economy or stop a flat out collapse of some critical industry infrastructures. But lets throw a million bucks down the toilet.