Label
Council Members Hobbs, Gadus and McPherson
Title
Supporting the passage of the bipartisan bill, "FIRE STATION Act", introduced by Ohio U.S. Senator, Sherrod Brown, "to provide grants for fire station construction through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes"; and declaring an emergency.
Summary
WHEREAS, the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department continues to feel the effects of deferred maintenance on existing fire department buildings, the increase in run volume due to the opioid epidemic and the Covid 19 pandemic, and a rise of cancer diagnosis among its ranks due to the increase of carcinogens on the job; and
WHEREAS, the City of Toledo has a limited amount of funds to make much needed repairs and upgrades to fire stations and apparatus used around the clock to protect and serve the residents of Toledo; and
WHEREAS, without assistance from state and federal sources the City of Toledo will fall farther behind in providing appropriate, safe, and upgraded facilities for firefighters to do the tasks oriented with the job; and
WHEREAS, on March 27, 2023, Ohio U.S. Senator, Sherrod Brown, along with a group of bipartisan colleagues, introduced a bill known as the "FIRE STATION Act"; and
WHEREAS, the "FIRE STATION Act" will provide grants for the fire station construction through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes; and
WHEREAS, the most recent national report on local fire departments, distributed December, 2021, by the National Fire Protection Association stated, "...across the U.S., 44 percent of fire stations are more than 40 years old and in need of significant repairs. Additionally, 56 percent of stations lack exhaust emission control and are not properly equipped with cancer-preventing systems."; and
WHEREAS, a grant program created by the "FIRE STATION Act" will be in the sum of $750 million and will be mana...
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