Lake Havasu City Fire Department received notification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of two grant awards under FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER). The AFG grant provides Lake Havasu City with $285,200.00 in federal funding plus a 10% match from the city totaling $28,520.00. The SAFER grant provides $4,102,575.07 with no matching funding from the city.

The AFG program provides federal funding directly to local fire departments and emergency organizations.  AFG aims to help firefighters and first responders obtain the necessary equipment, training, and other resources to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

The AFG funds are to aid the Lake Havasu City Fire Department to purchase a system to capture and extract diesel exhaust fumes from the fire stations. The new diesel exhaust removal systems directly improve the health and safety of our firefighters by reducing their exposure to exhaust fumes when starting the apparatus in the fire stations. The city is committed to our members’ health and safety, and reducing the exposure to carcinogens significantly aids in that effort.

The SAFER grant is intended to assist local fire departments in enhancing their staffing and deployment capabilities to better respond to emergencies. The Fire Department is using this grant to hire eleven Firefighter/Paramedics or Firefighter/EMTs, allowing us to improve our service to our growing community and prepare for future demands. It is also to increase safety during emergency operations, improve response times and meet industry standards.

The duration of the SAFER grant is three years. The grant covers approximately 100 percent of each new employee’s salary and benefits. The awarding of the SAFER grant demonstrates the city’s commitment to ensuring the safety of its residents and visitors.

“The Lake Havasu City Fire Department is grateful for the award and appreciates the opportunity to increase the level of service we can provide to our growing community,” said Fire Chief Pete Pilafas.

“Chief Pilafas championed this innovative utilization of a grant to meet our future firefighter succession plan goals.  I applaud his innovation,” said Mayor Cal Sheehy.

Lake Havasu City and City of Phoenix were the only SAFER grants awarded as of September 21, 2022 in the state of Arizona.

Applications for the Fire Department’s 2022-2023 hiring process will be accepted beginning in October. You can view career opportunities here: Career Opportunities | Sorted by Job Title ascending | Career Opportunities with Lake Havasu City (governmentjobs.com).

For more information, please contact the Lake Havasu City Fire Department, at (928) 855-1141.