Gainesville Fire Rescue firefighters won’t have to put in overtime anymore.
GFR received a $1.9 million grant from the federal government to aid the department’s growth, said Lt. Tracey Higdon, the president of the Gainesville Professional Firefighters union.
Awarded to fire departments that require financial assistance to increase personnel, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant will help GFR add 17 new firefighters to its team as early as February, Higdon said.
GFR has been hard-pressed to respond to the growing number of calls in its jurisdiction, especially in the rapidly expanding southwest part of town, Higdon said. The addition of new staff will eliminate the need for overtime and make an additional unit in the southwest possible.
“We feel like we should give that coverage and not rely on bringing in other agencies to help us,” Higdon said. “This will help us be more self -sufficient.”
The grant will also help to bolster existing units. The National Fire Protection Agency recommends engine units contain four people. Due to staffing restraints, GFR staffs some of its engines with three people, Higdon said.
“It’s not just about how many firetrucks you can put on a scene,” Higdon said. “If you have one person on 10 different firetrucks you only get 10 different people on a scene. If you have four people on 10 different fire trucks, you get 40 people on a scene.”
David Arreola, a city commissioner for the district containing the southwest area west of 34th Street and south of Archer Road, said he’s aware of the growing demand for emergency personnel. The grant, however, will help change that.
“There has been a lag in terms of proper equipment, proper staffing and an engine from the city,” Arreola said. “This has been the perfect opportunity.”
Although the grant will only directly fund new staff, it will stimulate opportunities to purchase needed equipment, like a new quint engine, which is a truck with a ladder, for the southwest region of Gainesville, Arreola said
The grant will not only equip GFR with the resources it needs to succeed now, but it will give the city the financial freedom it needs to get set for the future, Arreola said.
“Now, we’re not kicking the can down the road anymore, we’re getting it done,” Arreola said.
The increase in personnel will do nothing but benefit the community, said Lt. Joe Walker, a 32-year-old county resident. This is especially true when it comes to increased coverage and better service.
“It’s going to make the entire city safer as a whole,” Walker said.
The new hires check each other's vital signs before heading into burning shipping containers for live-burn training at Gainesville Fire Rescue Station 3, located at 900 NE Waldo Rd.
