The Las Cruces Fire Department has received two federal grants totaling more than $1 million that will pay for nine new firefighter positions, to staff a third emergency Squad Unit and send 12 firefighters through a paramedic training program.
The $1,162,664 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant will pay for nine new firefighter positions to be funded over the next three years. The SAFER grant will allow LCFD to staff a third Squad Unit that will be housed at new Fire Station 3 once it’s built. The nine new positions will also decrease the number of three-person crews LCFD operates from five to four. The grant for staffing will allow LCFD to better respond to emergencies and with improved response times.
The new Squad’s apparatus will be purchased using State Legislative appropriations of $140,000 along with funds from LCFD’s State Fire Protection Fund.
The second grant received is an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for training. It will allow LCFD to place 12 firefighters into a paramedic training program. LCFD has partnered with New Mexico State University’s Dona Ana Community College to train paramedics and the program has a successful track record. The next paramedic class will begin within 90 days. The $345,000 grant will cover tuition, books and overtime for the 12 firefighters selected for the advanced training.
The overtime is crucial and allows LCFD to maintain staffing levels while the 12 firefighters are in training.
The City of Las Cruces Grants Department was vital in submitting and tracking the application process. The consultant company Incite Consultancy also played a pivotal role in LCFD being awarded the SAFER grant.
Both federal grants and the state appropriations will soon be presented to City Council for approval.
Information from Las Cruces Police