Fire chief outlines integration, SAFER grant pursuit, protective gear and health‑screening requests

The Hamilton Township fire chief told the budget workshop on April 8 that the township is still “in that integration phase” for bringing multiple fire districts into municipal government and that the process includes aligning IT, training and procurement practices across former districts.

On grants, the chief said staff were preparing an application for a FEMA SAFER grant that would fund firefighter payroll for three years if awarded. “If that's a FEMA SAFER grant, it’d be for three years… it pays for everything, payroll related,” the chief said, describing the grant as covering payroll costs rather than uniforms or gear.

Capital needs discussed included vehicle exhaust removal systems and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs). The chief described SCBAs as a “huge ticket” item and said he would pursue grant funding. Councilors asked why some ballistic‑vest-style gear appeared funded by police grants in prior cycles and whether analogous federal grants might be available for fire protective gear; the chief agreed to follow up with the police department and grant administrators on allowable uses.

Councilors pressed the department on a firefighter‑health line item. The transcript shows the department requested physicals at $725 per firefighter for 141 firefighters (which totals approximately $101,500). Council questioned that figure and the worksheet shows the recommended funding for that line reduced to a figure recorded as "25" in the worksheet; the transcript does not specify whether that entry represents $25,000 or another unit, so the record is not explicit on the council recommendation amount. The chief said the department would prioritize cancer‑screening programs and try to shift funding for screenings where possible.

Other topics included a 15% vendor price increase for class B uniforms (contractually governed and providing NFPA protective standards), replacement cycles for ballistic vests and hazmat equipment, and station housekeeping supplies that several members suggested could be centralized for purchasing savings. No final appropriation or binding vote on fire capital or health‑screening funding was recorded at the workshop; staff were asked to follow up with grant opportunities and procurement options.