Fire department awarded $595k staffing grant

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue is the recipient of a grant that will fund volunteer recruitment.

By Karina Andrew • April 14, 2023 1:30 am

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue is the recipient of a federal grant that will fund volunteer recruitment and training efforts, the department announced Wednesday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the fire department a $595,000 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant.

Interim Fire Chief Chris Swiger said in an interview that North Whidbey Fire applied for the grant early last year and was funded for the full amount it requested. The money will be awarded over a four-year period.

The grant is designed to help fire departments recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. North Whidbey Fire’s grant will go toward personal protective equipment for new recruits, leadership and career training, new member costs such as physicals and textbooks, and a marketing program for recruitment.

Swiger said the department will also hire a recruitment and retention coordinator for the duration of the four-year grant award period.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, like other fire departments across the country, has been hurting for staff for several years. There is especially a demand for volunteer firefighters, which constitute a major portion of the department’s staff.

Swiger said the department has managed to bring on some new volunteers over the last year and will gain 10 more when the current academy class graduates this summer. But even with the new additions, the interim chief said the department needs 15 to 20 more volunteers to achieve the service levels department personnel would like to reach.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue covers the area from just south of Libby Road to the Deception Pass Bridge, excluding the city of Oak Harbor and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. In 2021, the department downgraded from two full-time-staffed stations to just one. Department personnel reported that emergency response times subsequently increased.

Swiger said that the awarding of the SAFER grant will not cancel out the department’s need to ask voters for a levy lid lift, which may happen next year. The levy lift, if passed, will fund station renovations and equipment purchases, in addition to further addressing staffing needs. The current levy rate is just under 60 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, according to data from the Island County Assessor’s Office.