AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Meeting Date:           February 26, 2007

From:                          Dennis M. Sargent, Fire Chief

Subject:                      Resolution Accepting a Workforce Central Florida Grant for firefighter training

Staff Recommendation:

Staff recommends acceptance of a Workforce Central Florida grant not to exceed $18,405 to provide half the cost of special operations training for firefighters.

Analysis:

Leesburg Fire Department has doubled its number of fire stations and size of its workforce in the last three years. It is proposed that the grant will be used for the following necessary training:

We have added an airport firefighting station and need to increase our depth of personnel who are qualified to function in this capacity. The Salt Lake City ARFF facility is one of a handful of facilities across the country that offers this training and is unparalleled in quality and experience.

Our Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Special Operations Team responds to emergency events that are outside the norm of emergency operations, aftermath of tornados, hurricanes, building collapse, etc. The USAR team must have a minimum of six trained personnel to be able to deploy to these extraordinary emergencies. We currently do not have enough personnel trained in these special skills to be able to deploy a team in a timely manner.  Fortunately, Lake County Technical Institute is located just minutes from Leesburg Fire Department and is a certified regional training site for the USAR disciplines.

A by-product of rapid growth in an organization is the need for more senior employees to be able to step into supervisory and management positions. The Fire Department Training Network, in Indianapolis Indiana, affords our senior personnel an opportunity to acquire these skills in a realistic, yet safe, live burning environment.

Options:

1.  Accept the Workforce Central Florida grant

2.  Such alternative action as the Commission may deem appropriate

Fiscal Impact: 

Funding for 100% of the training is already provided in the Fire Department Budget.  Acceptance of this grant will reduce the cost of the training by 50%.

Submission Date and Time:    2/21/2007 4:04 PM____

Department: _Fire__________________ Prepared by:  ___j.frazier_____________                      Attachments:         Yes_X_   No ______ Advertised:   ____Not Required __X___ Dates:   __________________________                      Attorney Review :       Yes___  No _X_ _________________________________            Revised 6/10/04

Reviewed by: Dept. Head    D.S. Finance  Dept. __________________                                    Deputy C.M. ___________________                                          Submitted by: City Manager _______RS____________

Account No. _0001-2220-522-5450_ Project No. _WG0002___________ WF No. ______________________ Budget  ______________________ Available _____________________

RESOLUTION NO._______________

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LEESBURG, FLORIDA AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY CLERK TO ACCEPT A WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA GRANT NOT TO EXCEED $18,405 TO ASSIST IN TRAINING FIREFIGHTERS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LEESBURG, FLORIDA:

            THAT the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to execute an agreement  with Workforce Central Florida whose address is 1411 South 14th Street, Leesburg, Florida 34748 for the acceptance of a grant to provide training funds.

 THAT this resolution shall become effective immediately upon passage.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Commission of the City of Leesburg, Florida, at a regular meeting held the 26th day of February 2007.

                                                                            __________________________

                                                                             Mayor

ATTEST:

__________________________

City Clerk