Fire safety was a focus of Tuesday night’s Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting, with the subject even providing some humor early on.
The supervisors voted unanimously to apply for a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to help pay to hire 12 firefighters.
“The SAFER grant provides federal funding to fire departments to assist in increasing the number of frontline firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate fire protection,” Stafford Fire Chief Joseph Cardello told the board.
Three of the county’s fire stations — Widewater, Brooke and Potomac Hills — do not have full-time, engine-company staffing, Cardello said.
If selected for the grant, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would pay a percentage of the cost of the additional firefighters for three years, then the county would cover the total cost of employing those workers in the fourth year and beyond. Stafford’s contribution in the first year would be $270,741.
Board Vice Chairwoman Tinesha Allen, whose Griffis-Widewater District includes the Widewater and Potomac Hills stations, said Stafford’s continuing population growth means the county will need additional firefighters in the next few years anyway, so it’s prudent to have the federal government foot part of that employment bill, if possible.
“It at least allows us in three years to budget for that staffing versus being forced at once to hire all that staffing,” she said.
Cardello said the SAFER program has about $324 million to give away, and FEMA is expected to award about 300 grants, meaning it’s not certain that Stafford will get one.
The supervisors on Tuesday also agreed, 6-0, to pay up to $2.6 million to buy two fire engines. Garrisonville District Supervisor Pamela Yeung had stepped away from the dais when the vote was taken.
A horse?!?
Board Chairman Deuntay Diggs began Tuesday’s meeting with remarks that included mention of safety for July Fourth, but the comments didn’t go as planned.
After providing details about the county’s official holiday celebration, Diggs started talking about reminders from Stafford Fire and Rescue.
“If you are planning to utilize permissible fireworks,” he said, “keep a water bucket or horse nearby.”
Then, realizing his mistake, Diggs said, to laughter: “A horse.”
“It’s the storm,” he continued, blaming the night’s weather. “It’s the storm.”
“Horses and fireworks do not mix,” Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch chimed in.
“All right,” Diggs continued. “Let’s try that again. Keep a water bucket or hose nearby.”
