HomeMy WebLinkAboutSAFER Grant Award letter to FEMA 11.17.10 ,,.•••���••.,, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBERS of THE BOMID
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o 25 COUNTY CENTER DRIVE,Suite 200 BILL CONNELLLY
OROVILLE,CALIFORNIA 95965-3380 JANE DOLAN
Telephone: 530 538-7631 Fax: 53Q 538-7120 STEVE
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November 17, 2010 BOARDO; s., j��SCRs
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Assistance to Firefighters Grant Rj,�
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
800 K Street, NW
Room 5055
Washington, DC 20472
RE: SAFER Grant Award to Butte County Fire Department
Dear Ms. Patterson:
I write today regarding the Butte County Fire Department's recent award of$2.1 million in funding
from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. It was
recently brought to the attention of the Board of Supervisors that legal staff for the Federal
Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) is in the process of reviewing the County's eligibility to
receive our award. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a few issues regarding the
organization and structure of the Butte County Fire Department and how they pertain to the
administration of the SAFER grant.
The Butte County Fire Department is in every way a department of the County. The County owns
the twelve stations, sixteen fire engines, and all other equipment that Butte County firefighters and
personnel use to provide fire protection services to our residents in suburban and rural communities
throughout the County. In the most recent fiscal year, 95% of the Fire Department's budget was
funded by County discretionary general fund resources that are allocated under the authority of the
Board of Supervisors.These funds are used to hire firefighting personnel, dispatch, command and
support staff, as well as funding operational requirements. The Fire Department generates some
revenue through plan application and review fees, grants, and some services provided to other
agencies.
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Seventy-five years ago,the Butte County Fire Department entered into a cooperative agreement
with CAL FIRE to provide the Department's staffing needs. However, all governing authority and
decision making powers remain with Butte County. The cooperative agreement very clearly
establishes the Board of Supervisors as the controlling authority of the Butte County Fire
Department. The agreement states: "The Local Agency shall have sole authority to establish the fire
protection organization and structure needed to meet the determined level of service. This level of
service may be based on the Local Agency governing board's established fiscal parameters and
assessment of risks and hazards." In summary, only the County Board of Supervisors and Butte
County Fire Chief have the authority to make any decisions—personnel, policy, or administrative in
Mature—on behalf of the Butte County Fire Department; it is not a function of CAL FIRE to do so.
The cooperative agreement merely serves as a staffing mechanism that allows the County to
provide fire and emergency services to our residents in the form of a cost effective, locally managed
fire department.
Furthermore, we are not alone in the structure of our fire department. Our cooperative agreement
is replicated 145 times in 33 counties, 30 cities, 32 fire protection districts, 25 special districts, and
25 other service areas throughout California.
The Board of Supervisors,through the Butte County Fire Department,will serve as the party
responsible for the administration and management of the SAFER grant. The County will:
• Maintain the SAFER-funded positions for the requisite time;
• Provide for the training of SAFER-funding positions; and
• Direct staff to administer the grant by retaining grants files, providing periodic performance
reports, and all other associated tasks.
It is critical to note that the SAFER grant funding will directly benefit the Butte County Fire
Department, and not CAL FIRE. This grant allows the County to rehire Butte County Fire Department
firefighters that were laid off due to budget cut, not the state. The rehiring of these personnel will
not only enhance the Butte County Fire Department's ability to protect the health and safety of the
public but it will help protect current firefighting personnel facing fire and fire-related hazards.
The current economic downtown unfortunately forced the Board of Supervisors to-very unwillingly
- reduce staff at the Butte County Fire Department. The staff reduction ultimately forced the
closure of two fire stations in the County. In an effort to help fill some of the holes created by the
layoffs,the County Fire Department applied for just over$2.1 million in assistance to help rehire six
firefighters and five engineers who were laid off because of budget cuts. We were thrilled when we
were awarded the SAFER grant on September 24, 2010 and eagerly coordinated our efforts to rehire
the firefighting personnel we unfortunately had to let go. The Board of Supervisors voted to accept
the grant funds on October 12, 2010 and announced to the public that additional firefighting
resources would soon be on the ground in Butte County.
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As the FEMA legal team continues to review the circumstances surrounding our grant funding, I
sincerely hope we will be able to find an amicable solution to the issue. The primary purpose of the
SAFER grant program is to create jobs for local fire fighting personnel and to help increase fire
protection and emergency response services for our neighborhoods. The Butte County Fire
Department will do just that with the use of the SAFER funds.
We look forward to a favorable resolution of this matter.
Sin`+�y' Acerel�y,
Bill Connelly, Chairman
Butte County Board of Supervisors
C: Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
Congressman Wally Herger
Congressman Tom McClintock
Butte County Board of Supervisors
Butte County CAO Paul Hahn
Butte County Fire Chief George Morris
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