Council endorses SAFER grant plan to staff fire engines with four personnel; 21 hires planned under federal funding

Grand Prairie fire officials told the City Council that a federal SAFER grant awarded through FEMA would allow the department to add personnel to reach four‑person staffing levels on more engines.

Fire Chief Bob (transcript: Robert Fire Chief Harold; identified as the fire chief in the meeting) said the department has worked for 13 years to reach the national standard of four personnel on a fire engine and needs 21 additional hires to achieve four‑person staffing across remaining engines. City leaders and staff developed a multi‑year hiring plan to phase in the positions, Chief said.

The SAFER grant structure, he explained, covers most costs in years 1 and 2, shifts some burden to the city in year 3, and by year 4 the city would be responsible for the full cost of the new positions. Chief said the grant’s federal source is FEMA and that the program is specifically designed to place firefighters on engines to improve response capacity.

Councilmembers pressed for detail on which stations would be affected; the chief said engines at multi‑company stations already generally have trucks and different staffing, but engines at Stations 6, 7 and 9 (district references provided during the meeting) would move to four‑person staffing as part of the phased plan. Councilmembers and the chief compared Grand Prairie to neighboring cities that operate four‑person engines.

Council accepted the presentation and included the SAFER grant plan in the consent approvals (items 6–33). Staff will return with hiring schedules and budget adjustments consistent with the grant terms.