June 14 is the deadline to file for a job at the Lehigh Acres Fire

Department where there are now 34 openings.

Chief Don Adams said today that since he announced last week that the SAFER

grant was awarded to the fire department, he will be able to replace the men

that he was forced to lay off last August because of the department’s

financial problems. But there are strings to the SAFER grant which Adams

doesn’t see a problem with.

The employees who lost their jobs last year must be given first consideration and be re-employed at their position and pay grade at the time when they were forced to leave the department.

Adams said some of the men have moved from the area to seek employment

elsewhere. But, he said that the firefighters in the department are guessing

that 20 will ask for their jobs back.

That leaves 14 openings and Adams said he has heard that there are

firefighters who have lost their jobs at the Fort Myers Fire Department and

there may also be men who are looking for jobs from the Tice Fire Dept.

“But I really want everyone to know that they must file by the 14th of June

to get their jobs back. It’s rules in the SAFER grant that I must follow or

else we would not get the grant,” Adams said.

SAFER grants are awarded to increase operational firefighter’s safety. Six

administrative positions which were laid off in August of 2009 are not

eligible to be recalled under this grant however, Adams said.

The fire chief admitted that in two years there could be problems if the

economy has not improved and land values have not gone back up. The reason

being that the SAFER grant must be used to pay salaries to laid off firefighters who are brought back for only two years. Overall, across the nation there are funds of $1,249,663,298 designed for SAFER grants. Lehigh is set to get $8,971,851.

Adams noted that the SAFER grants enhance the fire distict’s ability to

comply with the staffing, response, and operational standards of the

National Fire Protection Association’s Standard 1710.

This allows the fire district to efficiently respond to emergencies with a

full staff on each fire apparatus. He said the District will also increase

the current staffing levels on the fire apparatus from three to four firefighters. Ambulances may be re-staffed, too. Within 90 days of written confirmation from FEMA, the District will begin the recall process, he said.

The District will also be able to reopen Station 105 at 636 Thomas Sherwin

Ave. S., on the corner of Milwaukee Blvd., which has been open only

part-time since April of this year.

The money is a grant program of FEMA that is very competitive and according

to reports, nationally, 2,128 fire organizations applied for the 2009 SAFER

Grant program. The total amount requested nationwide by the fire service was

$1,249,663,298, that’s more than a billion dollars. The Lehigh Acres Fire

Control and Rescue District was one of 11 organizations approved for funding

in the sixth round of review by FEMA, Adams said.

He said he received confirmation from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelsons office and also from Rep. Connie Mack’s office. Verbal confirmation of the grant came

from Matthew Spielman of Mack’s office and Diana McGee from Nelson’s office

on May 27 and the fire district will receive the full amount requested, Adams said.

“Was I excited? You bet I was,” Adams said in his usual low tone of voice that he is known for. Adams said there is a special meeting on June 11 at 4 p.m. at Veterans Park solely for the purpose of getting signatures from the four commissioners.

“They have to be notarized and sent back to FEMA,” Adams said. The SAFER amount of almost $9 million was the second largest grant given during this selection period, Adams said.

Last August, Adams laid off 36 firefighters in order to keep the department afloat. Since then he rehired two firefighters because they were veterans.

Adams and the battalion chief notified the two fire unions via email.

“Oh yeah, there was excitement. Some of the men say they still don’t belive it,

not until it happens,” Adams said. Over the past year, Adams has considered

ideas to hand over the ambulance service in Lehigh. Authorities at the

County EMS service came to Lehigh and at a meeting promised no problems,

that they would staff Lehigh. The people of Lehigh already pay for the service through their county taxes. And Lee County EMS works anyway with the

Lehigh EMS whenever they are needed due to Lehigh ambulances being busy on

calls.

But the commissioners would not hand over the Lehigh ambulance service. Adams said he was very concerned that the Lee County Property Appraisal’s office has announced that Lehigh property values will dip another 21.8 percent for the coming year. This means even less money coming in to the department next near in ad valorem taxes. Last year the department had an income of $9.2

million and now income is at $7.2 million coming to the department.

Personnel have made cuts to save, but only laying off personnel can meet the

demands of lowering huge expenses, being that labor is the most expensive

item on any organization’s budget.

For two years, the department cannot lay off rehired employees. While there is a

$13.4 million reserve in the department, the money will carry the department

into the 2014 year. In two years, if the economy has not improved, Adams is

not sure what could happen. It could mean laying off personnel again. And

nobody knows if the department could apply for yet another SAFER grant and

how much it would get if anything.

“But if we are still having difficult economic times, by all means, we will

apply again,” Adams said.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be at 4 p.m. on June 17. The June

11 special meeting will be brief as nothing can be discussed except the

SAFER grant and the four commissioners – Jeff Berndt, David Adams, Julie

Barrett, and Ralph Hemingway – must sign to make it legal. That meeting is

open to the public. The meeting will be at the Veterans Park Community

Center at 55 Homestead Rd.

Commissioner Ralph Hemingway said he plans to re-introduce a motion at the regular meeting to put small assessments on properties in Lehigh of either $35 or $50.

“That means only pennies a day,” Hemingway said. He put the motion on the

table at the June meeting but the other two commissioner didn’t even discuss

the motion. There was no second so the motion failed.