SAFER grant to help replace retirees at Ill. fire department

By Deana Stroisch
The State Journal- Register

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Springfield Fire Chief Ken Fustin says the city should be able to pay the salaries of 20 new firefighters even after a nearly $2.5 million federal grant runs out.

"I can't stress how big of an opportunity this is for the city and the Springfield Fire Department." Fustin said Monday. "We will have to hire these people whether it's on our dime or FEMA's dime because of our anticipated retirements."

Forty-one, or about 19 percent of the department's 211 employees — not all of them firefighters — are eligible to retire before March 2013.

The department probably will have to hire more than 20 firefighters to offset retirements, he said.

The Springfield Fire Department learned last week that it had received the grant, which is funded through the Department of Homeland Security's Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. The money is designed to pay salaries and benefits of 20 new firefighters for two years.

Springfield will receive the 38th largest of 442 grants, totaling more than $400 million, awarded nationwide during the last federal fiscal year, according to data on FEMA's website. Another $405 million will be available during the current federal fiscal year.

The city's legal department, budget office and mayor's office all reviewed the requirements, Fustin said.

"We couldn't think of a reason to not accept this grant," he said.

Grants a "budget trap"

Former Ward 4 Ald. Chuck Redpath called the grant a "budget trap."

During his 20 years in the office, he said such grants would be used to add new positions instead of filling vacancies from retirements.

If the city is frugal, follows through with its promise and only replaces retirees, he said, "It'll work."

"You can't just keep adding people and expect to balance your budget," Redpath said.

Because layoffs are based on seniority, the new hires would be the first to be laid off if the city's budget woes continued, Fustin said.

But that's unlikely, he said.

"With our anticipated retirements, we don't anticipate ever needing to lay these people off," Fustin said.

No help to 183rd

The grant can't be used to keep firefighters with the Illinois National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield on the job.

The National Guard firefighters, based at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, are to be laid off Sept. 30 because of the loss of the 183rd's F-16 flying mission.

Fustin said he and previous fire chiefs have investigated the possibility of using Springfield's grant to help save those jobs. But it can't be done, he said, in part because they are employed by the state.

Unclear when hiring will begin

Fustin said he's not sure how soon the city will be able to hire, but it is continuing to test and interview potential new firefighters.

This week, the chief will interview 52 applicants with the highest test scores.

Applicants were "banded" based on the results of a written test, which is 30 percent of their score, and the oral assessment, which accounts for 70 percent.

Fustin will rank each of the applicants in the top two bands.

To get 20 potential hires, Fustin said, he probably will send the top 35 applicants to take the Candidate Physical Agility Test, a nationally accepted standardized test. Some won't pass the agility test, he said. Others might not pass background checks or psychological testing.

Springfield's fire department hires only applicants that go through this process. Lateral moves from one fire department to another are not allowed, Fustin said.

Fustin himself was a firefighter in Decatur before coming to Springfield, but he also went through the testing process.

Federal grants
Springfield's fire department is one of 13 in Illinois that recently received federal grants to help hire or recruit new firefighters.

East St. Louis Fire Department East St. Louis $3,362,554
Springfield Fire Department Springfield $2,496,262
Peoria Fire Department Peoria $1,558,107
Waukegan Fire Department Waukegan $1,229,990
Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Lincolnshire $658,294
Godfrey Fire Protection District Godfrey $429,904
Elgin Fire Department Elgin $327,557
Pembroke Fire Protection District Pembroke Township $286,380
Park Forest Fire Department Park Forest $198,183
Manteno Community Fire Protection District Manteno $100,000
Crete Fire Department Crete $84,472
Kankakee Township Fire Protection District Kankakee $79,494
Sauk Village Fire Department Sauk Village $37,766

Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

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