2003-087-RES RATIFY APPLICATION FOR US FIRE ADMIN FROM FEMA TO PURCHASE EQUIPMENT

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. Print Application Page 8 of 13 hinges on the success of this grant. It is paramount that we receive the necessary funding. Community/Department Benefits Not only will the FEMA funding greatly benefit the immediate city, but will also provide benefits to the entire county. The City of Paris and Lamar County have recently entered into a mutual aid agreement (Resolution No. 2002-196). The purpose of the agreement is to provide mutual aid between the city and county in meeting any emergency or disaster from enemy attack or other cause, natural or otherwise and recognizes that the prompt, full and effective utilization of the resources of the respective city and county is essential to the safety, care and welfare of the people thereof in the event of a major emergency or disaster. In addition to mutual aid benefits, the procurement of this much-needed equipment will have a widespread effect on area volunteer fire departments. As a gesture of local assistance, the City of Paris is pledging to donate all 50 of our current SCBAs to the 19 volunteer fire departments scattered throughout Lamar County. These volunteer departments are located in the rural areas of our county and are in serious need of this type equipment. They receive limited financial support from the county and are forced to purchase their own equipment primarily with out-of-pocket funds or by relying on donations. The SCBA that the City of Paris would donate are currently operational, within the manufacturer's standards, and have been well maintained. However. the manufacturer plans to discontinue sales of this model SCBA by December 31. 2003 and the sale of parts after 2009. Though use of this equipment will gradually diminish (because of non-availability of parts after 2009). the volunteer departments could greatly benefit in the short term and over the next few years with free availability now. Donating the SCBAs to the volunteer departments would provide them with much-needed safety equipment that they simply do not have the funds to purchase otherwise. The donated SCBA will greatly enhance their ability to provide service for their communities by providing necessary equipment for interior attack fire mitigation and the ability to respond to a larger number of hazards, provide for the individual protection of the volunteer firefighters themselves and in the event of a large scale disaster could enhance their ability to provide mutual assistance to the City of Paris. By helping them, we help ourselves. Need for Additional Funding Given the poor economic condition of our area, l;>rocuring the necessary funds at the local level has been impossible. The FEMA funding is crucial to us' The overall projected cost to purchase the new SCBA equipment needed for our 54 person suppression staff is S271,978.00. The city does not have the funding available to cover an expenditure of that magnitude in the overall budget. That is why this grant is so vitally important to us. Furthermore, the City of Paris implemented a reduction to fire department staffing last fiscal year and, as a means to further reduce expenditures, is researching the possibility of further reducing current emergency services staffing if the projected budget shortfall for 2003/2004 does not diminish. In addition, the State of Texas has directed a seven percent budget reduction across the board in discretionary spending and the federal government is proposing a 10 percent reduction in discretionary spending for the upcoming year. All this translates into a potential reduction of services for the City of Paris with very minimal funds available for equipment purchase. In preparing for and equipping ourselves for 'i1 possible terrorist act. CBRN incident. and/or a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incident, we are desperate for the funds to complete a wholesale transition from the old BMR (Belt Mounted Regulator) style SCBA to the newer, more technologically-advanced MMR (Mask Mounted Regulator) style of SCBA, which meets NIOSH approval and the requirements of NFPA 1981. Additional Information The City of Paris Fire Department first applied for FEMA funding during the last fiscal year (2002-2003). Our plan then was the same as it is now, to procure sufficient funding to complete this very necessary SCBA transition. Yes, we failed to be successful last year, but our need for this life-saving equipment has not changed nor has it diminished! For the last two years. we have presented our case to city management during the budgetary process, but again have not been able to procure the funds necessary to obtain the equipment. However, there is good news! We have been able to procure the matching funds necessary to help secure this grant. City management supports the need for this SCBA change and is willing to commit to providing the matching fund portion of the overall cost, but simply has not been able to provide funding for the project in totality. Gentlemenlladies, we have a small window of opportunity in which to complete this very necessary project. As stated earlier, our current SCBA ma~ufacturer plans to discontinue the model of SCBA that we are using and will not provide replacement parts after a few years. For this department to progress and to be able to provide the services that this community and area are in vital need of depends, to a great deal, on the success of this grant process. We implore you to consider the urgency of our request and respond in a positive and expeditious manner. Please help us help our neighbors. If you received a grant award in the 2002 process, does https://portal.fema.go\'/firegrant/jsp/fire/print_appj sp ?print=true& app _ num ber= 4/10/2003