City staff seek council sign-off to apply for three federal grants, including regional dispatch upgrade
June 17, 2026 | Casper Mountain, Natrona County, Wyoming
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City Manager requested council authorization to submit three grant applications to federal and state programs, including a regional AFG dispatch upgrade, equipment for reserve apparatus, and an accidental petroleum grant.
The largest application is a regional dispatch upgrade staff described as roughly $395,000 with a required 10% local match. “This dispatch upgrade is…needed for a long time,” the City Manager said, adding staff are working through mutual-aid agreements with all partner departments and have discussed adding the Natrona County Airport Fire Department as a participant. The City Manager asked the council for a thumbs-up to proceed.
Chief Spicer told the council the module would be an IP-based automated dispatch system that “will improve efficiency and workflow, lead to faster response times, enhance accuracy and reduce human error,” and provide redundant alerting and situational awareness for dispatchers and responding crews.
Staff described two additional requests: an AFG proposal to outfit reserve apparatus with thermal-imaging cameras and other operational safety gear, estimated at $100,000 (with an estimated $10,000 local match), and a $20,000 accidental petroleum grant that requires no local match and would pay for technical rescue equipment.
During questions, council members asked whether the module is fire-only (staff: primarily fire), how it integrates with the existing public-safety communications platform, and how the 10% match will be allocated among partners. Staff said Casper would likely carry a larger portion of the host responsibilities for capital equipment and that mutual-aid agreements are being drafted to spell out each partner’s share and obtain signatures. Staff also noted a memo line saying the city could remain responsible to FEMA for the full federal award if a partner fails to meet its share; the transcript references both $395,000 and $375,000 as total-award figures in different places.
Council members expressed informal support to proceed with submitting the applications and asked staff to finalize partner cost-share agreements before the state/federal submissions. The council did not record a formal roll-call vote on the applications during the discussion.
What happens next: staff will finish mutual-aid cost-share agreements, finalize grant narratives, and submit the applications by the applicable federal deadlines.
The largest application is a regional dispatch upgrade staff described as roughly $395,000 with a required 10% local match. “This dispatch upgrade is…needed for a long time,” the City Manager said, adding staff are working through mutual-aid agreements with all partner departments and have discussed adding the Natrona County Airport Fire Department as a participant. The City Manager asked the council for a thumbs-up to proceed.
Chief Spicer told the council the module would be an IP-based automated dispatch system that “will improve efficiency and workflow, lead to faster response times, enhance accuracy and reduce human error,” and provide redundant alerting and situational awareness for dispatchers and responding crews.
Staff described two additional requests: an AFG proposal to outfit reserve apparatus with thermal-imaging cameras and other operational safety gear, estimated at $100,000 (with an estimated $10,000 local match), and a $20,000 accidental petroleum grant that requires no local match and would pay for technical rescue equipment.
During questions, council members asked whether the module is fire-only (staff: primarily fire), how it integrates with the existing public-safety communications platform, and how the 10% match will be allocated among partners. Staff said Casper would likely carry a larger portion of the host responsibilities for capital equipment and that mutual-aid agreements are being drafted to spell out each partner’s share and obtain signatures. Staff also noted a memo line saying the city could remain responsible to FEMA for the full federal award if a partner fails to meet its share; the transcript references both $395,000 and $375,000 as total-award figures in different places.
Council members expressed informal support to proceed with submitting the applications and asked staff to finalize partner cost-share agreements before the state/federal submissions. The council did not record a formal roll-call vote on the applications during the discussion.
What happens next: staff will finish mutual-aid cost-share agreements, finalize grant narratives, and submit the applications by the applicable federal deadlines.
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