Fire Rescue applies for SAFER grant

Historic City News listened as St. Johns County Administrator Michael Wanchick put commissioners on-point Tuesday regarding the un-manned Fire Station 15; calling for a decision concerning staffing.

In 2005, the county established the need for Station 15 which is located in the Palencia area in north central St. Johns County. The Fire Rescue Master Plan was delayed due to tax reform in 2007, however, two years later, construction began with funding from a bond program.

Before the station was completed earlier this year, the county applied for a SAFER grant and was denied in 2010. The SAFER grant, an acronym for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, is distributed each year through the Department of Homeland Security. Funds from the grant are to be used to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the NFPA and OSHA.

“There is no dispute,” Wanchick told commissioners, “Fire Station 15 is needed.”

Some Historic City News readers have expressed opinions that if the county cannot afford to man the station, it should remain closed — some question why it was ever built if they had no plan in place to cover the cost of staffing. Other objections, some expressed by public speakers in Tuesday’s meeting, suggested that since Palencia residents will be the beneficiaries of the new station, they should pay a fire-service fee to cover its operating costs.

Wanchick told Historic City News editor Michael Gold that many people do not understand how the public safety organization performs its duties. “Station 15 firefighters don’t just respond to calls for service within an assigned area.”

Historic City News verified that the updated “fire protection class” for residents in the community would lower the average homeowner’s insurance policy by as much as 50% if the fire station were in operation. Wanchick said that he responds to residents in other parts of the county who may live closer to one of the other operational stations, “Palencia residents have already been paying for you.”

Fire Chief Bobby Hall told us that 90% of calls received from locations that could be serviced by Station 15; result in a twelve-minute response time. He believes that he can provide enhanced response, within eight-minutes, with Station 15 in operation.

Before calling for the commission to take action, Wanchick explained that the station would require twelve firefighters-paramedics at a cost of approximately $890,000 each year. The fire fund is currently operating on reserve funds, Wanchick said. “It is expected to be financially insolvent by 2013.”

The opening of Station 15 and hiring 12 new personnel will accelerate and deepen the insolvency.

Wanchick laid out three staffing options for the commission to evaluate:

OPTION 1: Delay opening Station 15 indefinitely.
OPTION 2: Open Station 15 by re-assigning existing personnel.
OPTION 3: Open Station 15 with new personnel.

In the motion made by Commissioner Stevenson and seconded by Commissioner Sanchez, and, approved 4-1 with Commissioner Miner opposed, administration was directed to staff Station 15 upon notification of the award, and, if the grant is denied, defer any decision on staffing until the formal fiscal year 2012 budget process later this summer and early fall.

On the “plus” side, Wanchick says the full salaries and benefits cost for the twelve new positions will be fully funded. Decreased response times and homeowner’s insurance will benefit the area. The response times in other areas will be preserved since personnel won’t need to be called in to answer calls from other stations and overtime costs will be minimized.

On the “minus” side, if Homeland Security approves the grant, the county commits, at the time they accept, to continue to fund all firefighter positions for the third-year. During the three-year grant period, the county could not reduce the workforce of firefighters-paramedics at all — not just the twelve “new hires”. There will also be a known millage rate increase required by the third year.

Miner to Gold during the break that his “no” vote did not mean that he didn’t support the opening of Station 15 — it was his concern about the conditions attached to the federal grant they were being asked to approve. “We really need to get into the budget process for next year to see where we are before making this kind of decision.”

Responding to those who were considering putting in the grant request today so that they could get in the queue, then pull out, three months from now, if another option becomes available, assuming the grant is funded, would amount to “dealing in bad faith”, Wanchick warned.

Staff agrees with the commission’s choice, including Chief Hall; who told Historic City News if you don’t say yes to the grant now, even though there is renewed interest, your chances to win the grant in September will be about the same as they are today. “The thing is,” Hall said, “it could take anywhere from two weeks to three months, or more, to get Homeland Security to approve the application.”