Minneapolis may not accept SAFER grant

By Steve Brandt
The Star Tribune, Minneapolis

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MINNEAPOLIS — Somebody call 911.

The Minneapolis Fire Department, which for years has pursued a federal grant that could help beef up its firefighter ranks, now is recommending that it be turned down.

The grant could become another casualty of pending cuts in state aid to cities.

The $1.3 million grant would require that the city pick up a gradually increasing share of the cost of the 12 extra firefighters that would total $3.8 million. It also would require that the city keep the newly hired firefighters on the payroll for five year or repay the grant.

The last time the state cut aid, the city laid off 42 firefighters. The department was authorized to hire 493 people as recently as 2000, but now is budgeted for 450.

Mayor R.T. Rybak has identified the federal grant as the city's best shot for adding to its firefighter ranks. Federal officials told the city last month that they had given its application favorable review.

Fire Chief Alex Jackson said he would use the extra firefighters to bring rigs up to their full strength of four firefighters each. Jackson said that short-handed rigs often force a single firefighter to do a job typically handled by teams of two, meaning more fatigue and injuries. Firefighter injuries spiked in 2007, the last year for which numbers are available.

Fire officials have recommended to the City Council that the city tell the federal Department of Homeland Security that it is unable to accept the grant because of "current financial conditions." The council's budget committee will hear that recommendation today, but an earlier committee asked that the feds be asked if the city could delay its acceptance decision until after the level of state cuts is known.

Jackson said that running the matter before the council offers a chance for it to decide to appropriate the needed money. But that would seem like an uphill battle with a city hiring freeze in place. Council budget chair Paul Ostrow said significant aid cuts would make it "very, very difficult, if not impossible" to accept the grant.

The federal program has helped other Minnesota fire departments add 14 firefighters since 2005, with Rochester, St. Cloud, Moorhead and Virginia each adding three.

Copyright 2009 Star Tribune