Oakland City leaders announced a $27.4 million grant for its fire department Thursday morning while outside Fire Station No. 5 on 34th Street.
The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, specially from its Staffing For Adequate Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) program. The program is aimed at funding fire departments to help them increase or maintain the number of firefighters available in their communities.
The City of Oakland is currently dealing with a historic $360 million budget deficit, which Mayor Sheng Thao has proposed to solve with a two-year budget plan called the One Oakland Budget. The budget calls for, in part, spending reductions across city departments.
The budget prioritizes avoiding layoffs, but it would have meant the Oakland Fire Department would have had to suspend one of its engine companies. That could have meant potentially slower response times to fires reported by Oakland residents in the affected district.
In order to avoid this outcome, members of the OFD with the assistance of the City Council applied for the SAFER program.
Winning the grant means two things. First, OFD won’t need to brown out any of its engine companies. And second, the money will cover the salary and fringe benefits for 35 new firefighters over three years.
“Now we don’t have to select a neighborhood fire house that will have to go without, that would run the chance of having a delayed response time from their fire department because that company is browned out,” said Fire Chief Reginald Freeman. “Now we don’t have to have that conversation. And now we don’t have to risk the lives of any of our residents, particularly on an EMS call, because we’re delayed in getting there because a company is coming from a neighboring district.”
Freeman also noted this will help provide relief to firefighters already with the OFD, many of whom are working mandatory overtime of up to 11 days in a row.
Friday, June 9, is also Freeman’s last day with the OFD before his retirement from public service. In honor of his service, Mayor Sheng Thao presented him with a Mayor’s Proclamation during the gathering.
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Following that, City Administrator Jestin Johnson announced that Deputy Chief Damon Covington would step up as interim fire chief.
Covington has been with the OFD since 2001, when he started as a firefighter paramedic.
“I’m humbled to be there today,” said Covington. “And please know that Oakland will continue on the trajectory that Chief Freeman has put us on. And we’re going to continue to accomplish and achieve the things that he set forth for us.”
