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Department: Fire (1210) Fund: General (1000) Department Activities and Responsibilities: The Fire Department, which is comprised of a few full-time equivalent positions and 55 volunteer members, provides fire suppression and prevention services for the City, as.. well as the communities of White Bear Township, Dellwood, Birchwood Village, and Gem Lake through contract agreements. The total population for the service area is 37,696, with the:City's population comprising 64% of the total at 24,159. The Department also provides fire inspection services for commercial and multi -family buildings, building plan review, and pre -planning programs for businesses within the City, White Bear Township, and Gem Lake. ❑epartment Staff: Chief Fire Marshall Secretary Recruitment/Retention 1T Coordinator Firefighters (Volunteer) Total Fire Budget Activities: 2014 2015 2016 Actual Actual -Adopted .50 .50 .60 1.00 1:00 1.00 .25 .25 .25 1.00 1.00 1.00 2016. 2017 Revised Budget 50 .50. 1.00 1.00 .25 .25 1.00 1,00 .25 .25 55:00 55.00 5.5.00 5.6.00 55.00 57.75 57.75 57.75 58.00 58.00 In 2013,. the Department celebrated its 125t.' year of providing fire service to the City of White Bear Lake and surrounding communities. Once a fully volunteer department, now a paid.on-call department, the overall operating cost of this essential service is very low compared to the alternative of staffing full-time firefighters, in the department. While the service level of the department is comparable to a full-time staffed. department; the number of calls :and the time commitment required for membership makes it hard to find and retain skilled personnel for the department. To address this challenge, the. City Council accepted a. four-year Federal. Emergency Management Association (FEMA). Staffing for Adequate Fire and. Emergency Response (SAFER) grant that started in 20.11 and continued through 2014. A second grant was. received after the first expired to cover the expenditures for these activities through 2017. The grants provide funding for a recruitment and retention coordinator position to focus.on assisting the department. in attracting new on -call personnel :and encouraged long-term service by employees through the financial incentives of additional life insurance coverage and funding for their medical expense reimbursement account. Management will. need. to re-evaluate the position and its benefits. to the. department to determine whether to fund the position. after the grant reimbursements are finished.