Manchester to use $3.7 million SAFER grant to hire more firefighters

The Manchester Fire Department has been awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Responders (SAFER) grant for $3.7 million, which the department will use to increase staffing levels, city and federal officials said Wednesday.

Manchester Fire Chief Ryan Cashin said the grant, awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will fund 12 firefighter positions for three years.

“This grant will increase the department staffing for the first time in 20 years,” Cashin said.

Cashin calls being awarded the grant a “transformative development” for the Manchester Fire Department.

“A firefighter’s job is simple — protect the lives and property of this great city, and the dedicated men and women of the Manchester Fire Department are doing this every day,” Cashin said. “Today, we are providing the one tool that increases their ability to do their job while also providing the safety that they deserve. The city of Manchester is growing, it is evolving, and it is thriving. I am proud to stand here to say today that your fire department is better prepared to respond to the city.”

Manchester Fire is comprised of four battalions with a daily staffing level of 46 firefighters and officers and one battalion chief, for a total of 47 members on duty.

With the addition of 12 more firefighters, daily staffing levels will rise to 50 members on duty.

Cashin cited statistics he calls “irrefutable evidence” that increasing his department’s complement by 12 firefighters and increasing staffing at firehouses from three-person crews to four-person crews will “only ensure a more widespread increase in the level of services we provide to citizens across the city.”

According to Cashin, studies show that:

• Four-person crews completed firefighting tasks 5.1 minutes (nearly 25%) faster than three-person crews.

• Four-person crews can complete laddering and ventilation on a low-hazard structures 25% faster than three-person crews.

• Firefighters who complete tasks simultaneously are less fatigued and can complete all tasks safely.

Cashin said over the last few years the city has enjoyed substantial growth.

“This year alone, we have seen 710 new dwelling units constructed, with plans for many more in the future which will lead to an increase in call volume,” Cashin wrote in a memo to city officials.

According to Cashin, his department has seen an increase of 39% in call volume from 2014 through 2023.

“This year, we are trending higher than this time last year,” Cashin writes.

Cashin plans to increase staffing on the following apparatus:

• Engine 5: Stationed on Webster Street and is the second busiest engine in the city, experiencing a 48% increase in call volume over the past 10 years. It’s also the first unit on scene for any calls north of Myrtle Street on up to the SNHU campus on the Hooksett line. It is also an ALS engine staffed at the Advanced-EMT level, and can provide life-saving cardiac care within minutes.

• Engine 2: Stationed on South Main Street and it’s the first or second unit to calls on the West Side. Engine 2 is also the ALS Engine for the West Side and reports a steady increase in medical calls.

• Truck 7: Stationed on Somerville Street and is the first unit to respond to every call south of Valley Street, Cashin writes. Truck 7 responds directly with Engines 7, 8, 9, and 3.

“Increasing staffing on Truck 7 will increase the effective firefighting force per (National Fire Protection Association) standards to the entire south end of Manchester,” Cashin wrote.

“At a time when our first responders are under more pressure than ever to answer calls 24/7, we need to be sure we have the personnel to cover all of our fire and fire-related emergencies,” Mayor Jay Ruais said.

Cashin said Congressman Chris Pappas was instrumental in helping get the grant this time around, after two previous applications fell short.

Pappas, whose family owns and operates the Puritan Backroom restaurant, said his family has benefitted from a quick response by city firefighters.

“Just about four years ago, my family business, we had a major electrical fire,” Pappas said. “You all were there within minutes, and it helped save the property, save a lot of jobs, and ensure that a local business could continue to stay open. So we’re grateful for the response that you provide far and wide across our great city.”

SAFER Grant funding has no match and fully funds the 12 positions for three years. Cashin says it’s his goal to maintain the new staffing level after the grant expires by “conservatively funding the positions over the next several fiscal years.”

“We can achieve this goal by appropriating a minimum of $200,000 annually in a separate contingency fund and therefore offsetting the amount needed to cover the salary and benefits of these additional members in the first fiscal year after the grant funding is expended,” Cashin wrote in a memo to city aldermen.