REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 10/19/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Fire Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Acceptance and appropriation of Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program award.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to authorize the acceptance of the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program award and approve an appropriation of $230,297 in the General Fund for the grant award amount of $209,361 and the required 10% match in the amount of $20,936. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program provides federal funding directly to local fire departments and emergency organizations to protect the health and safety of firefighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Authorize the acceptance of the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program award in the amount of $209,361.
b. Approve an appropriation of $230,297 in the General Fund for the grant award amount of $209,361 and the required 10% match in the amount of $20,936.
c. Approve an estimated revenue increase of $209,361 in the General Fund.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program is issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The primary goal of the AFG grant is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and emergency medical service organizations throughout the Country.
ANALYSIS:
On August 26, 2022, the Corona Fire Department received an award letter indicating approval of its Fiscal Year 2021 AFG Program grant application. The Fiscal Year 2021 AFG Program focuses on protecting the health and safety of firefighting personnel from fires and fire-related hazards. The AFG Program accomplishes this by providing financial assistance directly to eligible fire departments for critical training and equipment. A funding priority of the AFG grant is for fire departments to obtain equipment to achieve operational and deployment standards for existing missions and to replace noncompliant equipment to meet current standards.
The only eligible AFG Program activity for interoperable communications equipment is the acquisition of P-25 compliant equipment. P-25 compliant interoperable communications equipment has a digital platform that is programmable, scalable, and can communicate in analog mode with legacy radios, and in both analog and digital mode with other P-25 equipment. P-25 compliance enhances interoperability, allowing first responders to communicate with each other to coordinate their response to and mitigation of all hazards.
The Fire Department will utilize the AFG grant award to purchase multi-band P-25 compliant mobile radios for all front-line apparatus, ensuring mission-critical communications during mutual response incidents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
An appropriation of $230,297 in the General Fund is requested for the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant award in the amount of $209,361 and the cost share requirement equal to 10% of the Federal funds awarded, or $20,936. The General Fund estimated revenue will be increased by $209,361 to reflect the approval of grant funding.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action authorizes the submittal for and acceptance of grant funding, and there is no possibility this will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: JENNIFER SCHAEFER, MANAGEMENT ANALYST II
REVIEWED BY: BRIAN YOUNG, FIRE CHIEF
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Award