Crime & Safety

City Still Waiting on Fire Audit, Dept Not In Compliance

The city is also still waiting on an audit about the staffing levels of the fire department.

While the city is waiting on the final draft of an audit of the Hoboken Fire department, fire Chief Richard Blohm has warned the council that the department is not in compliance with a $1.1 million grant it received from the federal government.

The department received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2007, when there were 86 fire fighters working for the department. One of the requirements to receive all the grant money, Blohm said, was to keep the same staffing level as long as the department received grant money.

In the meantime, however, fire fighters have retired, which has caused the staffing level to drop. Today, there are 73 fire fighters working for the department. Because the staffing level changed since 2007, the Hoboken fire department will not receive the rest of the “Safer” grant from FEMA (there’s about $250,000 remaining), unless the staffing level is adjusted.

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Missing out on the remaining $250,000 seems to be the best case scenario. Chief Blohm said that there’s also a chance that, because the city hasn’t been in compliance with the grant, it may have to pay the already-received $781,000 back to the federal government.

In order to receive the remaining grant money, however, the city would have to hire about 12 firefighters, which would probably cost the city more than the $250,000 it would receive.  

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New firemen are hired at a base salary of $37,298, and receive health benefits. Training and equipment adds another $6,000, Blohm said. (Putting a new firefighter to work can be roughly $60,000, Blohm said.)

During a council meeting in February, the council asked Blohm questions about the grant. Meanwhile, the city is still waiting on an audit of the Fire Department. Multiple council members asked about the progress. Business Administrator Arch Liston said during the Feb. 16 council meeting that the audit would be ready “within 30 days.”

In a communication to the City Council, Mayor Dawn Zimmer wrote that the audit will be available within the next six weeks.

"We will consider staffing levels and decisions about the FEMA grant based on results of the audit, as well as recommendations from Chief Blohm, Business Adminstrator Liston and Public Safety Director (Angel) Alicea," Zimmer wrote.

The audit of the fire department is being completed by a private firm, which was hired by the city. At the last council meeting Liston said the administration received “a draft over e-mail,” but that draft hasn’t been shared with the council yet.

“That’s not the way it works,” said Michael Russo, Third Ward councilman and harsh critic of the administration. “I want the fire audit.” Russo added that he wanted to see the draft as well as the final audit.

Zimmer said that she is “following the same process as the police audit.” She added that the fire chief will have time to review the final product before it’s released to the public and council.

Zimmer said that the draft is still incomplete and that the auditors have to talk to the chief before completing it.

“I believe we’re understaffed,” Blohm said.

At the February Council meeting, Blohm said he had not yet seen a draft of the audit. Blohm said also that he would like to re-open a seventh fire company in the city.


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