The SAFER Grant will pay money to cities to hire back firefighters that have been laid off, fill positions that have been eliminated, and even hire more to bring cities up to the 4 man NFPA minimum standard. The money first goes to cities that laid firefighters off, then to cities that have eliminated positions. Therefore, we would be pretty high on the list. We have been told there is a good chance we could get the funding if we applied. OCFD Union President Sipe has been pushing our administration, city manager, and council to apply since they cut the positions July 1.

The city manager has not been receptive. In fact he has been openly against it. The program does say that the federal government will pay for the positions for two years and the city must pay for the positions the third year. That has been what Couch has hung his hat on. He says they can't make a promise to keep the positions in three years because we might not have the funds. At the council meeting last week Sipe pointed out to them (actually read to them like grade school kids because they have no desire to read it on their own) they can get out of paying the third year if they don't have the money.

So why would Couch be against free money? Probably because this whole thing is not about the city having enough money. If you have seen the latest sales tax report you know the city just collected the biggest tax check EVER collected in Oklahoma City! In this political climate they see an opportunity to reduce essential services. This is a slam dunk if the city manager doesn't sabotage it which is a real possibility.