A federal grant could give the Akron Fire Department a leg up over its staffing shortfalls.
If awarded, the $9.5 million grant would fund 24 fire/paramedics for three years, bringing the total fire personnel to roughly 404 people said Akron Fire Chief Leon Henderson. Via email, District Chief Brandon Reedy said the fire department currently has 373 uniformed personnel.
In an effort to save $2.5 million in fire overtime, the city’s 2026 operating budget cut 35 full-time positions. No one lost their job, however. The eliminated positions were vacant. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the city will know whether it has been awarded the grant no later than Sept. 30.
At the end of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant’s three-year term, Reedy said the city will weigh the pros and cons of the extra firefighters against tax revenues and budgets, and evaluate other grant opportunities.
The city previously said it planned to hire a class of 25 firefighter/medics in the fall.
“If awarded,” Reedy said, “the SAFER grant requires hiring to the current budgeted staffing level of 378 before SAFER funds could be applied. The start date and number of new hires may change depending on award announcements.”
The union said before that staffing shortages were increasingly forcing firefighters and paramedics to staff a fire engine and medic unit, so-called “comboed units,” that can be delayed to the next emergency if they’re responding to calls, transporting patients or waiting to transfer patient care to a hospital.
“Hiring additional staff will reduce cross staffing, meaning most fire stations will have dedicated staffing for fire apparatus that is separate from the staffing for medical units,” Reedy said.
Henderson told Akron City Council’s Public Safety Committee the city has received the grant before. Grants Manager Tessa Smith said via email that the last round of funding from the grant ran from February 2022 to February 2025.
Changes to the grant’s structure, Henderson said, means Akron will have to kick in $4.2 million of its own money. The feds, he said, will supply the remaining $5.3 million.
In the first and second years of the grant, the city must repay 25% of the funds, Henderson said. In third year however, the city must repay 75% of the cost of the employees, and maintain those staffing levels for a year afterwards, he said.
Henderson said the department is working with the city’s finance team to determine the best way to implement the grant if the city is awarded and accepts it.
Finance Director Steve Fricker said the city would, if awarded the grant, examine its books “and determine whether or not to move forward with it.”
In March, the Akron Fire Fighters Association said the department was already in a staffing deficit that will deepen as retirements occur “in the near future.”
Reedy said pending retirements and separations will lower the estimated average count in 2026 by 15.
“We will be undergoing an EMS/Fire Staffing Study to examine the efficacy of our department and make recommendations for future staffing levels,” Reedy said.
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Fire Department seeks to replenish staffing with federal grant
Reporting by Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
