The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly passed an ordinance through consent agenda that would accept and appropriate the remaining balance of $255,854.84 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant as well as appropriate $5,117.10 for the administrative fee on behalf of the Western Emergency Service Area. The WESA aims to recruit new volunteer firefighters as well as retain existing members in order to protect and serve the service area.
Assembly Member Tyson Cox:
“In this here service area was put together, there was a grant already in place. Ninilchik Service Area, when they came together, there was a grant that originally had $298,650 in it. There is a balance of $255,854.84. That is going to be transferred with the administrative cost of $5,117.10 to the Borough for helping with that.”
According to Jon Marsh, WESA Fire Chief, the service area depends heavily on volunteers to respond to incidents adequately and safely. The volunteers are crucial to WESA in providing safe responses to incidents. The SAFER grant award will fund a recruitment and retention program that will seek to increase recruitment of new volunteer firefighters and find ways to keep current members engaged in a long-term relationship with the department.
The grant performance period provides reimbursable funding in categories such as personal protection equipment for new recruits, money for training and salary for a recruitment and retention coordinator, which will be assigned to a current employee. WESA’s goal is to establish a successful program that’s fully integrated by the end of the grant performance period on December 9, 2023.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides an annual application through the Assistance to Firefighters, which assists fire departments with funding for operations and safety. The Department of Homeland Security approvement an amendment request that would transfer the balance of a 2018 SAFER grant to WESA.