For City Council Meeting [January 26, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Sean Grayson, Acting City Manager
FROM: Brian Park, Interim Fire Chief
Title
Request City Council to Authorize the Submission of a Grant Application in an Amount Not-To-Exceed $1 Million to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program FY2020 Cycle.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
The Fire Department uses two different radio systems both of which are nearing end of useful lives. The Fire Department seeks to replace the current radios with one radio platform capable of operating on both systems. On January 4, 2021 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Fiscal Year 2020 Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program. The due date for submission is February 12, 2021. The grant submission will be for more than $15,000 and includes a required local match, as such City Council authorization is sought to submit an application for the AFG Program. The required match would be addressed in the next fiscal year budget and, if awarded, the City Council would have to approve acceptance of the grant. As such, the grant submission does not obligate the City to expend the matching funds.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The objectives of the AFG program are to provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. The City's Fire Department is a qualified applicant.
The Fire Department intends to submit an application for interoperable emergency radios. Specifically, this would include mobile and portable radios, batteries and related equipment to place the radios in service. These are specialized radios that are compatible with the State and FEMA conventional interoperability plan on the...
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