Calif. city to hire 9 more firefighters

The Modesto City Council accepted a $2.2 million grant that will allow them to hire nine firefighters and put an engine back into service

The Modesto Bee

MODESTO, Calif. — The Modesto City Council accepted a $2.2 million grant Tuesday that will let the Fire Department hire nine firefighters for two years and put back into service an engine company that was eliminated in a 2011 budget reduction.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently awarded Modesto the Staffing for Fire and Emergency Response grant. The council vote was 7-0 to accept the grant.

A Modesto Fire Department engine. (Photo/Modesto Fire Department Facebook)

Modesto needs to recruit and hire the firefighters and put them through 12 weeks of training. Fire Chief Sean Slamon said he expects the firefighters to be on the job in April.

While the grant will pay for the salaries and benefits for the firefighters, Modesto also will have to spend some of its own money. Slamon estimates Modesto will incur nearly $421,000 in costs over the life of the grant. That includes hiring the firefighters, overtime and staffing an engine company.

While the grant covers the salary and benefits of nine firefighters, an engine company is staffed by three firefighters, three engineers and three captains. Engineers and captains earn more than firefighters, and Modesto will pick up the difference.

The SAFER grant will allow the Fire Department to add an engine company to Station No. 11, which is at Pelandale Avenue and Carver Road. The station has been staffed only by a ladder truck since 2011 because of budget cuts. The ladder truck will move to Station No. 5 at Briggsmore and McHenry avenues, the city’s busiest station.

This is expected to improve response times in central and northeast Modesto.

Modesto is not required to keep the SAFER firefighters after the two years, but Slamon said he will look for ways to keep them, such as having them fill vacant positions, if there is not enough money in the budget.