Cape city receives federal grant to hire firefighters

Cape Girardeau has received a three-year, $330,775 federal grant to hire three more firefighters.

In the future, the added manpower could lead to lower fire insurance costs for residents and businesses, fire chief Travis Hollis said Thursday.

The grant will pay much of the salaries and benefits for the additional firefighters.

Under the federal program, the city will have to provide a 25% local match each of the first two years of the grant and a 65% match in the third year, he said. Hollis said the grant will allow the city to add a firefighter to each of the city’s three shifts. The grant will provide much-needed staffing at the fire department, Hollis said.

Cape Girardeau, which has four fire stations, operates with 19 firefighters per shift. The grant will allow the city to employ 20 firefighters per shift, Hollis said.

The added personnel will move the city “closer to compliance” with National Fire Protection Association standards, he said.

It also could boost the city’s fire insurance rating from Insurance Services Office (ISO), an organization rating fire protection in cities nationwide.

Cape Girardeau has a 4 rating now, but adding staff could lower it to a 2 rating, Hollis said.

Business owners would see the largest savings from lower insurance premiums, he added.

ISO rates communities from 1 to 10 for fire protection with 1 being the best.

The fire chief said the department will be testing firefighter applicants in December.

In addition to filling the three grant-funded positions, the fire department also likely will be seeking to fill three other firefighter positions as a result of attrition, Hollis said.

Hollis said the city was fortunate to obtain the competitive grant.

“We are just blessed to have a battalion chief who is a good grant writer,” he said.

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