Federal Grant Will Pay for Lorain Firefighters
July 13, 2016
By: Ricahrd Payerchin, The Morning Journal
July 13, 2016
A $3.18 million federal grant will pay for 22 laid off Lorain firefighters to return to the job July 14 for two years.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, announced the grant in a conference call with Lorain officials the morning of July 13.
At the time of the call, Lorain fire Chief Tom Brown, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 267 President Ken Shawver and Mayor Chase Ritenauer predicted firefighters would return to work as early as this week.
“If I can get the guys back 10 minutes from now, I will,” Brown said after the 9:30 a.m. conference call.
“It’s in all our best interest to get them back to work as soon as possible,” Ritenauer said. “It would be great if they could come back to work this week, that’s what we’re shooting for.”
They were correct. Later on July 13, the Fire Fighters Local 267 and Brown announced laid off firefighters would return to their shifts starting July 14.
Meanwhile, the officials said they hope Lorain City Council will consider putting a fire levy on the November ballot to provide a long-term solution for paying for fire protection in the city.
The money will come through the federal SAFER grant, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The name stands for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response.
The city receives the grant as reimbursement for salaries paid for firefighters, city officials said. They predicted it would be late summer by the time paperwork is completed in Washington and the city receives money for the Lorain Fire Department.
On July 13, the city officials spoke to Kaptur via link on a laptop computer set on a table in the truck garage of Central Fire Station, 1350 Broadway. They were flanked by trucks and firefighters, City Council members JoAnne Moon, Joe Faga, Angel Arroyo Jr. and Dennis Flores, along with news media and city residents who showed up to hear the news.
“This is a good news day, mayor,” Kaptur said.
“That’s good to hear,” Ritenauer said.
Kaptur thanked the city administration and firefighters for their work for the city.
“The news today is very good for Lorain, Ohio, because of the collaborative work of all of us together,” Kaptur said.
The conversation was brief but encouraging, the city officials said.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also commented on the SAFER grant.
“Firefighters keep our communities safe and provide peace of mind for families during emergencies,” Brown said. “This award will help hire more first responders in Lorain to protect families and homes from fire hazards.
“With so many communities already facing budget shortfalls, critical federal efforts like AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grants) and SAFER are pivotal in keeping our Ohio cities, towns and villages safe.”
Despite Lorain’s municipal budget troubles, the grant serves as a pivot point for city officials and residents to focus on positive developments, Ritenauer said.
The grant also buys time for Lorain officials to push for a fire levy. Shawver called it a full time solution and Brown agreed.
“As long as we write the levy correctly, and we make a commitment to this Fire Department and the protection of the city, and we tell that story to the citizens, I think it can be a long term solution,” Brown said.
But the Fire Department must sell the issue to city residents, he said.
“We better be able to tell them what we’re going to give them and provide that service,” Brown said. “And I don’t want any exceptions in that, I don’t want any loopholes, I don’t want any negotiations. I want some strict language that provides a set fire service for our citizens.
“But there’s going to have to be some guarantees, there’s going to have to be some give and take, if you will.”
The layoffs went into effect July 1, and since then, firefighters and some city residents have complained about the risk to public safety.
The 22 cuts left the city with about 49 firefighters and command staff to cover Lorain.
Based on the number of firefighters needed per truck and per shift, Brown and the fire union leaders said Lorain some days could be down to one station for the entire city, leading to longer response times to fires. The stations on Lorain’s east side, west side and South Lorain would be closed and the city would be forced to rely on mutual aid from neighboring fire squads.
In at least one incident on July 4, firefighters responding to a house fire at 1127 W. Erie Ave. said they had one truck and three staff – not enough personnel to enter the building when they got there.
No one was hurt in that incident, but the home was divided inside to four units, so four families were left scrambling for shelter afterward, officials said.