FEMA awards Detroit Fire Dept. $22.5 million SAFER grant

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

FEMA awards Detroit Fire Dept. $22.5 million SAFER grant

Largest FEMA SAFER program grant in history

Detroit Fire Department

Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the city of Detroit $22.5 million.
This is the largest grant in the history of FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program.
The funds will be used to cover the compensation (salaries and benefits) for two years for 108 Detroit firefighters who would’ve been laid off due to budget constraints.

AUSTIN: THANKS TO TIMELY GRANTS, DETROIT’S FIRE DEPARTMENT IS READY TO SERVE

Donald R. Austin Detroit Executive fire commissioner

BY DONALD R. AUSTIN

The men and women of the Detroit Fire Department would like to thank filmmakers Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez for their new film “Burn,” their moving look at the heroism and “right stuff” displayed around the clock by our department.
They also cast an unflinching light on many of the conditions under which our firefighters work and the many challenges they face servicing one of the nation’s physically largest cities at nearly 140 square miles.
Mayor Dave Bing has made public safety his top priority and remains committed to keeping the city safe. He has worked closely with this department to address the needs in servicing those who live, work and entertain in the city of Detroit. In these weeks leading up to Angels’ Night, the city and this department encourage Detroiters to join us in moving our city forward.
Those of us in leadership positions do understand the urgency of the situation. We are working with aging physical plant and equipment, an imperiled budget and city finances, and a complex, challenging urban environment, for both firefighters and our EMS services.
Our 37 fire stations have an average age of more than 80 years. Our budget simply hasn’t allowed for adequate remodeling or relocation of these structures, or the repair or replacement of fire engines, ladder trucks or ambulances. We are plagued continually by fires in the city’s more than 39,000 dangerous structures, many of which catch fire again and again. Of the nearly 7,000 total fires we fight each year, more than half are at vacant dwellings, which put firefighters’ lives at risk as we try to make sure no squatters are inside when we respond.
Help is on the way. Despite these challenges, our response times are excellent, and we continue to make progress in prevention programs, which include home and business fire prevention inspections, free home smoke alarm programs and our Halloween-period efforts.
As “Burn” clearly demonstrated, our firefighting skills and bravery on the line are second to none.
This department is committed to finding ways to use our existing budget more effectively, while forging new relationships with and drawing support from citizens, the philanthropic community and government grant programs.
Working with the Detroit Public Safety Foundation funded grant writers and department staff, this June, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the city of Detroit $22.5 million. This is the largest grant in the history of FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program.
The funds will be used to cover the compensation (salaries and benefits) for two years for 108 Detroit firefighters who would’ve been laid off due to budget constraints. This most welcome award represents almost 14 percent of our department’s annual budget.
In recent days, FEMA awarded a second SAFER grant to Detroit in the amount of $5.6 million. The funds will be used to cover the compensation for two years for 26 more Detroit firefighters who had been laid off due to budget constraints.
We ask citizens and businesses to continue to get involved in making Detroit a safer and more attractive city. More information can be found at the Detroit Public Safety Foundation’s website (www.detroitpublicsafetyfoundation.org), including a list of needed items. I know that this department and this city have the resolve to put out any fire of self-doubt about our future.

Source: From The Detroit News - http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121025/OPINION01/210250329#ixzz2AJxTUxCj

CFN - California Fire News 2012

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, October 30, 2012