Akron wants to hire 25 new firefighters and could seek a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to pay for the jobs.
Fire Chief Edward Hiltbrand appeared before City Council’s Public Safety Committee this week to seek permission to apply for a $4.4 million grant through the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
The department has 341 firefighters and would like to get back to 363, the chief told council members.
The SAFER grant would be for two years, leading to questions about how the city, which has been complaining about a lack of money, would pay for the positions after the grant ended.
That is an issue, Hiltbrand said. But he added that the department is losing firefighters through attrition.
The alternative, he said, is not hiring as many.
The grant does not require a local match.
The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 330 is supporting the effort.
Union President Russ Brode said he would rather see the force at 393 or so like it was years ago.
“That would be a lot nicer,” he said. “I would say [341 is] not high enough but we’ll take it.”
The full council is expected to vote Monday on the request.
Akron has had prior success in getting SAFER grants.
The city received a $6 million grant in 2010 that was used to bring back firefighters who had been laid off during the economic downturn.
It then received an extension and an additional $6.4 million in 2013 to hire another 38 firefighters.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.