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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/01/2001, C3 - AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR GRANT FUNDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL TRAINING WEB SITE, SELF- C i council "" `Dam - 01 j ac cnaa Repout 14Caber C I T Y OF SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Robert F. Neumann, Fire Chief G Prepared By: Viv R. Dilts, Management Assistant SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR GRANT FUNDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL TRAINING WEB SITE, SELF- CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS (SCBA), AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EQUIPMENT CAO RECOMMENDATION Authorize staff to submit applications for grant monies in the amount of $138,500 from the Federal Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program for a..regional training web site and self- contained breathing apparatus and $50,000 from the Domestic Terrorism Planning Grant for hazardous material equipment. DISCUSSION State and Federal Grants are occasionally offered to.assist local governments with the financial impacts associated with daily operations and/or State and Federal mandated programs. This year the Fire Department has the opportunity to apply for two grants. A brief discussion of both follows. • Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program In fiscal year 2001, Congress appropriated $100 million to cavy out the activities of the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program. The grant program's purpose is enhancing the ability of the fire service to protect the health and safety of the public as well as that of firefighting personnel facing fire and fire-related hazard. There are six categories for which grants will be awarded: training, wellness/fitness, vehicles, firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment and fire prevention programs. Applicants seeking funding from this grant program will be allowed to apply for assistance in only two of the categories listed above. After researching these topics, staff recommends applying for: 1) Regional Training Web Site This would be a web site dedicated to Firefighter training resources and include links to college courses, training opportunities, lesson plans and articles of interest. Every Firefighter in the County would have access to training via this Internet site. C3-1 Grant Programs Page 2 Staff believes the Fire Department would greatly benefit from a centralized location of training resource data. One advantage would be training at the outlying stations instead of requiring everyone to come to Station 1, which would allow greater district coverage and less wear and tear on the engines. A web page company would be contracted to develop the web site in conjunction with the San Luis Obispo County Training Officers and San Luis Obispo County Fire Chiefs. The contractor would be responsible for data entry and maintaining the site for one year. After this year, it is anticipated that minimal staff time will be required to update information, i.e..class schedules, minutes, etc. Staff is seeking grant funding in the amount of $25,000 for the development and maintenance of this web site for one year. 2) Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Where life safety is considered, a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) unit is the single most important piece of equipment on thefire scene. To allow for safe extended firefighter operations, it is imperative to have this equipment. Staff is seeking grant funding in the amount of$113,500 to purchase 45 replacement SCBA units. • Domestic Terrorism Planning Grant The City of San Luis Obispo acts as the fiduciary agent for the San Luis Obispo County Hazardous Materials Team. The team, in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Services and the County Bomb Squad, has an opportunity to receive $50,000 in grant funding to purchase hazardous materials equipment. This equipment would be used countywide when the team responds to hazardous materials incidents. FISCAL IMPACT If the City were to receive grant funding from the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program, it would have to match the Federal grant funds equal to 10 percent of the total project cost. This would equal $2,500 for the development and maintenance of the web site and $13,500 for SCBA units. If funded, matching funds for the web site would either be supplied by the Fire Department's operating budget or from financial support of participating fire agencies within the County. In the 2001-03 Financial Plan, $112,500 has been requested for SCBA units. If funded,the $13,500 matching funds would be provided from this account, thus returning the remaining $99,000 to the General Fund. There is no cost associated with the Domestic Terrorism Planning Grant. C3-2 Grant Programs Page 3 ALTERNATIVES The Council could decide not to pursue the grant monies. This is not recommended as fire service grant opportunities are limited and the grant funds would only serve to enhance the effectiveness of the Fire Department and reduce the General Fund expenditures by$99,000. C3-3