Fire Dept. could add 6 firemen with funds
By MARK MCGEE
mmcgee@bedfordcountypost.com
According to the City of Shelbyville’s official website, the Shelbyville Fire Department has over 40 full-time and a dozen or so part-time members. They operate out of three fire stations and manage an area of approximately 19 square miles with a population over 25,000 people.
Like most government departments the City of Shelbyville’s Fire Department needs help to remain effective in the face of continuing growth.
The Shelbyville City Council, in its regular meeting for April, took a major step towards helping to solve the problem by authorizing the application to the Department of Homeland Security for a FEMA Grant Program Directorate, Assistance to Firefighters SAFER Grant. The approval was unanimous with all six council members in attendance.
The Safer Grant Program will provide funding directly to the fire department. The goal of the grant is “to increase the number of firefighters to help the department meet minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to protect communities from fire and fire related hazards and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments, and thus to the protection of lives and property in the City.”
Under the SAFER grant Shelbyville Fire Chief Matt Doak will be able to hire six new firefighters. The grant would be funded for three years.
If awarded, the grant will cover 100 percent of the personnel expenses (salary/benefits) for the six additional firefighters for the first three years with no local match.
The cost are estimated to be $440,868 in year one, $495,779 in year two, and $523,759 in year three.
Starting in the fourth year all salaries and benefits for the six additional firefighters will be paid fully by the City of Shelbyville. The estimated annual cost would be $550,000.
In a meeting that lasted approximately 30 minutes the council unanimously:
*Approved the request to the State of Tennessee Aeronautics Division for an additional $5,000 being offered from the annual Aeronautics Maintenance Grant. Mayor Randy Carroll was authorized to sign the documents.
*Approved a resolution of the Mayor and City Council to acknowledge and authorize a grant contract for $25,000 with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security for the Tennessee Highway Safety Office Grant for Fiscal Year 2025. The grant is an annual payment and is used to defray the expenses of DUI checkpoints including the cost of overtime pay for officers involved in the road blocks.
*Approved a resolution authorizing a grant application with the State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture for an “Animal Friendly Spay-Neuter Grant.
*Authorized Mayor Carroll to sign a letter expressing interest in conversations concerning possible Electric Vehicle Infrastructure at the Shelbyville Municipal airport for the addition of charging stations for both electric vehicles and airplanes.
