Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Flint Gets Grant to Rehire Firefighters

A press release from the office of Dale Kildee:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced that he has successfully helped the City of Flint secure a $6.766 million grant from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program. It is expected that this will allow the city to rehire 39 firefighters. Earlier this year, Congressman Kildee wrote to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers the grant, requesting that the grant be awarded to the City. And at the Congressman’s urging, Dr. Edward Montgomery, the White House Auto Communities Director, also urged FEMA to award the grant to the City. This grant was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which passed the House of Representatives on February 13, 2009 with Congressman Kildee’s strong support.

“I am extremely pleased that I was able to help secure this extremely important funding for the city of Flint. This grant is expected to allow the city to rehire 39 firefighters, putting people back to work while helping keep us safe,” said Congressman Kildee. “Firefighters’ honorable service and willingness to put themselves in harm’s way protects our homes, communities and families on a daily basis. This grant is extremely good news for Flint and I am proud that I was able to bring these funds to our community.”

The SAFER grant can be used for up to 100 percent of a firefighter’s salary for up to two years.



5 comments:

  1. Let me guess ~~~ there will be no more "unusual fires" in Flint, as if we all really don't know who is starting them.

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  2. Apparently terrorism works.

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  3. No one is probably going to like me saying this.. But I think that is a big win for anyone that burnt down an abandoned house as expression of revolt.

    If you look back into history. You will find MANY horrifying stories. History will tell you how bad an outpouring of opposition can wreak havoc on a city and anything in it's path.

    Yes. I understand that is full of "peaceful" and "humble" citizens. Maybe even "delightful" in the face of something truly devastating to an area.

    I think the people of Flint could not have been more straight forward then they are. In comparison to centuries of historical revolts across this country and the world. Flint's uprising looks like a delightful coney on the east side with all your friends after a good night on the town.

    Now lets get real. We are getting a 6Million dollar grant. . . Heh.. Maybe we got their attention. But are we going to settle for the way things are still going forward?

    6Million doesn't really go that far. . . Could we please talk about making flint good for business.. Get a city plan updated (last 1968) and get more businesses and lower regulations. Put a stop to all the lawsuits.

    So, health care reform is going to limit your ability to sue for malpractice. Maybe the people of Flint should put a regulation on city all. Maybe if you make a decision that results in a lawsuit at ANY cost to the city. You shall be removed from office with zero severance and barred from serving office in Genesee County ever again.

    I bet there is a great attorney out there that could fingure a way to make that happen. . . What a statement we could make with that..

    I am glad we got the grant. I am sad that we will need many more in the future.

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  4. It's very nice of all those taxpayers elsewhere in the country to voluntarily send their money to Flint to help pay the City's operating costs. What a great country we have...the federal government just sends us free money!

    (Of course, since the Fed budget is spending far more than it takes in, perhaps we should additionally thank China for buying our bonds with the surplus funds they get from all the consumer products we buy. I hope when it comes time to pay off those bonds, the Chinese don't expect us to actually come up with the funds.)

    Oh, and by the way, presumably the "two year" bit is illusory, since Mr. Eason said recently that the projected budget needed $13 mil more input in the upcoming fiscal year to get it to balance. Though two weeks ago, the shortfall was only $8 mil, so maybe there's some "flexibility" in the real numbers.

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  5. It's a pity this money won't be used to train a volunteer fire department. If Flint is supposed to be downsizing, that is the next step.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.