FEMA SAFER Grant Award Union Statement
Subject: F.E.M.A. Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant
The Haverhill Firefighters of the IAFF Local 1011 would like to thank Fire Chief Robert O’Brien, our U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives, our State Senators and State Representatives, our Haverhill City Councilors, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. Along with a special thanks to our amateur fire department grant writers James Bizeur, Brian Ray, Ryan Fairbanks, Michael Foustoukos, and Timothy Carroll, led by Richard Shellene.
Five years ago, the IAFF Local 1011 stood in front of the Haverhill City Council and presented them with a plan to incrementally increase staffing levels to eventually provide the residents of Haverhill with a desperately needed second ladder truck staffed in Bradford. Proving a need for a second ladder truck on the basis of our call volume, the abundance of current high-rise buildings, and the more approved to be built in the city, Haverhill was far below the national staffing standard.
After researching and writing the grant, our local firefighter grant team, with an endorsement from Haverhill’s mayor, submitted an application for funding a fully-staffed ladder truck in March 2023. Our grant application, with the backing of our elected leaders, requested 16 firefighters to staff a second ladder in order to help Haverhill meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 standard in continuation with previous staffing increases at both High Street and Water Street. Combined with previous staffing increases, this grant will soon allow Haverhill to meet the 80% threshold set forth by the NFPA for responses and response times sometime next year. The FEMA SAFER Grant gives the City of Haverhill $4.1 million to be spent over three years, covering 100% of the salaries and benefits of 16 firefighters. Upon the expiration of the grant, we look forward to working with local leaders to continue to staff the much-needed ladder truck in Bradford. At an approximate cost of $1.4–$1.6 million annually for these firefighters moving forward in the 4th year, FY2028 will be the first full fiscal year the city will need to realize the cost of these critical firefighters at about 0.6% of the current total annual city budget.
We look forward to continuing our work with the Haverhill City Council, the Federal and State Legislature, and Haverhill’s next mayor to continue to find solutions for these fiscal hurdles, including additional grants. Haverhill Firefighters IAFF Local 1011 have and will always fight for the safety of the residents in our great city. We know that many of the past years haven’t been easy, but we believe the best is yet to come for Haverhill, its firefighters, and the residents we are here to protect.
Faithfully,
Your Haverhill Firefighters
Melissa Lewandowski for City Council
A lot of politicians talk about supporting public safety, but few people actually do it as well as City Councilor Melissa Lewandowski. Melissa has been one of the strongest voices on the Haverhill City Council for public safety, responsible growth, and transparency. For those reasons and many more we unanimously voted in June to endorse Melissa Lewandowski for Ward 4 City Council. We ask you to stand with us, your Haverhill Firefighters and vote for Melissa Lewandowski for Ward 4 City Council.
More info at Melissa4Haverhill.com
Haverhill City Council Public Safety Subcommittee 5/3/2023
The Haverhill City Council Public Safety Subcommittee met last night to discuss the needs of the Haverhill Fire Department, the results of the CPSM Audit, and to hear recommendations from the public, firefighters, and Fire Chief O’Brien. Unfortunately, Fire Chief O’Brien was ordered by Mayor Fiorentini to not attend the meeting. The members of the subcommittee and firefighter’s union all expressed their disappointment with Mayor Fiorentini for his action in preventing the public from hearing directly from the city’s fire chief. The members of the subcommittee and firefighter’s union all expressed similar priorities for improving funding to the fire department in coming years. Please see the list of requests Local 1011 President Carroll presented to the city council subcommittee in accordance with the study (commissioned by the mayor) findings and in continuation with what the firefighters have been requesting for years to improve Haverhill public safety, all confirmed by the independent audit. (see more)
Haverhill Firefighters Vindicated through CPSM Study Results
March 10, 2023
Haverhill Firefighters and the CPSM Study Presentation to City Council – 3/7/2023
Since early 2019, the Haverhill Firefighters have been working with several city leaders to try and improve our working conditions, our safety, and the safety of the public. Many of our concerns were also echoed by Fire Chief O’Brien, the city council, and the public. In 2022, Mayor Fiorentini ordered a study be conducted of the fire department in an attempt to refute firefighter claims that the fire department was not being properly funded, equipped, and staffed. Tuesday night, CPSM presented their findings and here they are in line with what the Haverhill Firefighters Local 1011 have been saying about the Haverhill fire department; that the HFD… (see more)
