City in Okla. wins grant for 46 new firefighters

By P.J. Lassek
The Tulsa World

TULSA, Okla. — The city received confirmation Thursday that it will get a $4.2 million federal grant to hire 46 new firefighters.

"This is a great opportunity," Fire Chief Allen LaCroix said.

"We felt certain we would get it, but now it is official and we can move forward in filling our vacancies."

The grant will cover the new firefighters' salaries and benefits for two years, LaCroix said.

The city is responsible for providing related firefighting equipment.

A fire academy should begin May 1 with 16 weeks of training, he said.

No provisions in the grant require the city to keep the firefighters beyond the two years, if economic conditions worsen, said Mayor Dewey Bartlett.

The city has about 631 firefighters, compared with 676 in December 2009, because of the suspension of firefighter academies two years ago.

The force has an attrition rate of 20 to 24 firefighters per year.

In a joint effort last year by Firefighters Local 176 and the administration, the city applied for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Firefighters Local 176 President Dennis Moseby said receipt of the grant is "great news," noting that the firefighters' union has been working since 2009 to get the city to apply for the grant.

Bartlett said given the effects of the recession on the city's ability to maintain the superior fire protection services offered by the Tulsa Fire Department, "I believe applying for this grant was in Tulsa's best interest."

The mayor said increasing fire department manpower has "a multiplier of good effects on our community."

"It allows us to send a greater number of firefighters to respond to emergencies and keep the response time as short as possible," he said.

"It also allows us to continue with public safety education and help keep homeowners' property insurance costs stable."

Bartlett said public safety continues to be a top priority of his and the grant "is good news for Tulsa."

The mayor credited U.S. Rep. John Sullivan and Sen. Jim Inhofe for assisting the city in obtaining the grant.

Sullivan said he was "proud we were able to secure these funds to help increase the strength and capability of our fire emergency response team."

Last October, hundreds of firefighter hopefuls lined up at Tulsa's Safety Training Center to fill out applications.

Out of the 346 applicants, all but four were charged a $25 application fee that later had to be refunded by the city because officials did not follow the correct authorization process for the fee.

The application fee was waived for the four applicants not charged because they could not afford it.

Copyright 2011 The Tulsa World