A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Association could help buoy Cathedral City’s perennially cash strapped fire department, increasing the number of firefighters on department trucks starting early next year.
The almost $1.4 million, three-year grant will allow the city to hire six additional firefighter paramedics, bringing the department up to a staff of 40, Fire Chief Paul Wilson said. The city council formally accepted the grant at a meeting in September.
With the additional hires, three of the city’s fire stations will now have enough firefighter-paramedics to have three people on a truck rather than two.
“It really is a huge improvement for our level of service,” the chief said.
The move brings the department in line with county recommendations, which stipulate three firefighters should be on each truck, but still below the recommendations of the National Fire Protection Association.