| * Please indicate which of these Target Capabilities your request outlined in this application will satisfy. Check all that apply: | |
| Responder Safety and Health Firefighting Operations/Support Hazardous Materials Response Search and Rescue Emergency Medical Services Communications |
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| * Please provide your narrative statement in the space provided below. Include in your narrative, details regarding (1) your project’s description and budget, (2) your organization’s financial need, (3) the benefit to be derived from the cost of your project, and (4) how the activities requested in your application will help your organization’s daily operations and how this grant will protect life and property. | |
| The XXX Fire Department is in the City of XXX
which is 156 miles west-southwest of Minneapolis. We are the lead
department for this regional interoperable communication project which
will serve all ten departments in XXX County, our combined 225
firefighters, and a county population of 25,425.
==================== 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION We have conducted a risk analysis within our County Mutual Aid Association which has been in existence for 8-years and which included the ten departments in the county. We have identified our primary common problem as being the lack of compatible communications equipment. As a result of this problem, we do not have sufficient capacity to respond to emergencies in a safe and effective manner. In order to fill this gap, we ask for a FEMA grant of $439,254. This application is consistent with the grant priorities. In addition to purchasing fully compatible P-25 digital equipment for all ten departments, we will provide training for our members so they can use this equipment to fill the gap in our ability to provide adequate protection to the public. Three of the mobile truck radios and 8 of the handhelds will enable EMS/first responder personnel to be seamlessly connected with the county communication system. BUDGET $186,900 --- 50 mobile truck radios, 100 watt, dual head at $ 3,738 each $260,910 --- 130 hand held radios at $ 2,007 each $39,750 --- 10 base stations at $3,975 each, one for each department $487,560 --- SUBTOTAL EQUIPMENT $550 --- Grant writing fee $488,060 --- TOTAL PROJECT $48,806 --- Required local cash match of 10% $439,254 --- FEMA share Our project will also provide training to all firefighters in the ten departments, so they will be able to property and adequately use the new communication equipment. This training will be provided by our XXX County Mutual Aid Association as one of the three regional trainings done annually. This will be done at no cost to the project or the departments. ==================== 2. FINANCIAL NEED We need this FEMA grant because we cannot afford such a large project with our own limited local resources. This is due to a number of factors: 2a. --- The current combined incomes and expenses of our ten fire departments do not have any margin for us to afford this project. Each of ten departments receives a limited budget from their city government. This must be used to pay basic operating expenses. That leaves no room for as large a regional communications project such as we need. Combined Ten Fire Department Budgets for 2009 $432,830 --- Equipment outlay, capital improvements $251,490 --- Salaries and paid on call $250,492 --- Other $148,136 --- Fire prevention $111,957 --- Materials, supplies, services $65,407 --- Heat, lights, water $36,077 --- Minor firefighting equipment $33,601 --- Training $1,329,990 --- Total, All Ten Fire Departments 2b. --- Our ten combined city budgets are also tight. It would require the entire budget of all ten fire departments to be able to afford the project on our own, which is completely unrealistic. Combined Ten City Budgets for 2009 $15,665,775 --- General government $3,917,848 --- Streets and highways $3,466,017 --- Police services $3,217,585 --- Other $1,839,194 --- Parks and recreation $1,329,990 --- Fire protection $626,742 --- Libraries $462,853 --- Airports $357,898 --- Economic development, housing authorities $251,610 --- Sanitation $110,486 --- Miscellaneous $90,719 --- Health, ambulances $31,336,717 --- Total, All Ten Cities 2c. --- Each of our ten fire departments try to raise additional money through local fundraising events. But over three years such fundraising only netted about 3.9% of the combined ten departments revenue. The people in our county cannot afford to donate more because the per capita income in XXX County is only $18,013. This local fundraising is simply inadequate to pay for the regional project we need. 2d. --- The financial and economic trends in our county are not good. We are less able to afford major purchases such as we need because employment is limited and incomes are low. Similarly, the median value of a house in XXX County is only $81,000; this low value means that we are much less able to generate funds for the fire departments through a property tax levy. Lastly, Minnesota faces a $4.6 billion two-year budget deficit which has forced steep reduction in State Aid dollars that flow to cities and counties, further crippling our local financial capacity to afford this FEMA project on our own. ==================== 3. COST / BENEFIT This FEMA grant will allow us to remove the #1 major problem identified in our risk assessment which harms our capacity to deliver mission-critical services. PROBLEMS Problem 1 --- OVERALL INCOMPATIBILITY. --- The ten fire departments in our county own radios and communication gear which are incompatible with each other. When it comes to paging, response, and on-site coordination, one side of the county literally cannot talk to the other side and will not know what is going on in an emergency situation. Our departments typically have about 60% of their responses being mutual aid calls which require good interoperable communications. We lack this. The result is a huge gap in capacity when it comes to effective emergency response. The problem is reflected in a many ways: 1a. --- Several of our departments cannot communicate with central dispatching from the county seat city of XXX. 1b. --- Regional coverage has recently improved, with one upgraded tower and two new towers in the county. However, our departments’ old and outdated radios are not compatible with the newer tower technology and cannot adequately participate in this upgraded system. 1c. --- When called to a fire or emergency incident, our departments will be on different channels from each other. Truck-to-truck communication is impossible among vehicles as little as four miles apart. (There was an incident in 2008 where a crashed truck was blocking a highway and firefighters were summoned from several of our departments. Other emergency responders could not warn or direct our firefighter en route to the scene because of our incompatible radios and our own firefighters could not communicate truck-to-truck.) 1d. --- Handheld communication is poor. If we move as little as three miles away from a tower, we cannot communicate from one handheld to another. Firefighters from the largest department in the county (in XXX) cannot communicate with their own home facility from two to four miles away. 1e. --- Communication is similarly erratic and undependable between firefighters inside a burning building and those outside. Firefighters from one department cannot understand the words being spoken by another department. This creates a major danger for firefighters’ safety. Problem 2 --- DANGERS TO LIFE & PROPERTY. --- Inadequate, incompatible, and undependable communication equipment has been at the center of several recent tragic incidents which grabbed headlines in our region. 2a. --- In 2008, a school bus was struck and rolled by an automobile. Four youngsters were killed and 14 were injured. All ten of our fire departments responded in this terrible situation, as did other emergency responders. State and County law enforcement were able to communicate with each other and with other emergency agencies in their response and at the scene. But our fire departments could not do so, due to our old and incompatible radios. Our firefighters could not use their cell phones as an alternative, due to clogging of the airwaves in this major incident. This sad event stands as an example where loss of life is risked by our incompatible equipment. 2b. --- In 2005, a small private aircraft crashed in an adjacent county. Three people were killed. Several of our departments were involved in dealing with this crash. Once again, our incompatible radio equipment made it impossible to respond in an organized, efficient manner, or to communicate among ourselves and with other responders once we were on the scene. 2c. --- A fire struck XXX University in our county in 2002. No one was killed, but the student center and dining facilities were severely damaged. Five of our county’s fire departments responded and were positioned around different sides of this large building. However, our departments could not talk among themselves due to incompatible communication gear. This seriously handicapped our ability to fight this major fire. Property loss was estimated at $20 million. 2d. --- In 2006, a railroad train derailment occurred in our county. The cargo was highly explosive ethanol. Response involved Haz-Mat, County emergency response, five or six of our fire departments, and other agencies. Once again, our incompatible radio equipment obstructed our firefighters’ ability to efficiently respond to the incident and perform on the scene. Problem 3 --- OTHER DANGERS. 3a. --- Ambulances in our county are on the same radio frequency as some of our departments. As a result, a page calling those fire departments also pages the ambulances. This is confusing, highly inefficient, and risks the loss of life-saving response time. 3b. --- All of our departments serve as severe weather spotters. When a tornado or other potentially deadly weather is approaching, spotters from one city who are just a few miles from another city cannot communicate. Further, those communication problems mean that the spotters often cannot alert the central county-wide system which sounds the warning sirens. Our region of Minnesota is struck by numerous such storms each year. Communication failures such as these can endanger lives. Problem 4 --- AGE & SHORTCOMINGS. --- The radios used among the ten departments are all of different ages, makes, and models. All the radios are analog. Most are 20 or more years old. Some radios in the largest department in the county are 35 years old. A review of all units shows only two or three radios that are less than five years old, but even these are not compatible with the current standards. It is difficult to get replacement parts because so many of the radios are so old. Some departments will cannibalize their radios just for parts. Even if a radio is serviceable, the cost of its repair can often be as much as purchasing a new unit. As a result, the radios do not provide adequate and dependable coverage. Problem 5 --- NONCOMPLIANCE. --- None of the radios used by the departments in our county operate at 800 MHz. They do not comply with NFPA-1221 or Minnesota State law 182.653. Lastly, none meet the requirements of our State Radio Board. Problem 6 --- REGIONAL & STATE INTEROPERABILITY. Fire departments within our county must have the ability to communicate not only among ourselves, but with other regional agencies. An 800 MHz system is required for us to communicate with such regional and state agencies as our Department of Natural Resources, State Highway Patrol, Regional HazMat, etc. However, our current systems cannot meet this requirement. Two counties which are adjacent to us are already in compliance and our FEMA project will allow us to be interoperable with them as well as with the State. BENEFITS Benefit 1 --- The grant will allow us to efficiently upgrade communications for all ten fire departments at the same time. We will link the emergency communications of the 225 firefighters in the county, ten fire stations, and 49 vehicles with this new equipment. This will achieve 100% implementation of our statewide fire department communications plan for all these departments. Benefit 2 --- There will also be 100% uniformity and interoperability of equipment among the departments, plus a smooth and timely transition to the 800 MHz system. Without FEMA assistance, it could take several years for all ten departments to make their transition due to affordability. Benefit 3 --- All of our fire departments will be better able to respond to daily hazards once we have compatible, dependable, and effective communications among firefighters, mutual aid partners, and other emergency service providers. Benefit 4 --- We believe our project is cost-effective locally. There are 9,715 households and 25,425 people in XXX County. (2000 U.S. Census) This equals a FEMA grant of only $17.28 per person directly protected. Benefit 5 --- Training will go along with purchasing the new communications gear and will improve interoperability by giving our combined 225 firefighters an equal level of knowledge and skill. This training will be provided by the XXX County Mutual Aid Association as one of three regional trainings that are conducted each year. The training will be provided at no cost to the project or to the departments. Benefit 6 --- When we get the new communications gear operating among our departments, we will be able to communicate with three neighboring partners that have already upgraded to similar digital systems --- XXX County, XXX County, and the XXX Reservation. By being interoperable with their 21 fire departments and emergency agencies, another 33,969 people will be added to those indirectly benefiting. (Three more neighboring counties are moving towards upgrading, which will further expand the regional interoperability.) ==================== 4. STATEMENT OF EFFECT This new equipment and training will give us the ability to respond safely and adequately in hazardous situations when assisting the public in our daily operations. 4a. --- The new communications gear will have a daily effect for each of our ten departments. The new equipment will very likely be used on every alarm we respond to. It will greatly improve our ability to communicate among our own members on every call and will thus have a constant benefit to our firefighters and to the public. 4b. --- Interoperability among neighboring departments will be greatly improved when we are able to use new communications gear that will operate on modern standards. This will ensure county-wide interoperability with local, regional, state, and federal agencies. 4c. --- The new radios will make it much easier for all ten fire departments in the county to respond more promptly in emergency situation and to coordinate the attack on a fire. Doing this in a more efficient and timely manner through good communications will eliminate delays and confusion, thereby improving our ability to protect lives and property. 4d. --- We will track the impact of this grant over the next five years by counting the number of times the regional system is employed and thereby measure its positive impact on our communities and mutual aid partners. 4e. --- XXX County is an active participant in the work of our Regional Radio Board. The regional board will coordinate with the Statewide board in order to bring more effective emergency communications to all of Minnesota. 4f. --- By purchasing the new equipment we will replace 100% of the old units throughout the county that were acquired twenty or more years ago. The new equipment will comply with NFPA-1221, with Minnesota State law 182.653, and our State Radio Board. 4g. --- Our current communication systems are too old to comply with the Federal Communications Commission narrowbanding mandate. This reallocates channel capacity and requires narrowband-capable radios and pagers by the end of 2012. This FEMA project assures a smooth and coordinated transition to comply with the FCC mandate. The system will also provide a strong new backbone for all other emergency services in the county, allowing them to comply as well. 4h. --- Each of the ten fire departments is committed to the ongoing support and maintenance costs of the new communications equipment once it is in place, but they simply cannot afford to make the initial purchases on their own. 4j. --- The XXX Fire Department is the sponsor for this regional project. This department successfully carried out a regional AFG project for training in 2005. Their experience with the AFG program will enable them to do a good job administering this grant. |
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