Sea Bright Fire and Rescue Company has received a $242,820 federal grant to replace equipment lost or damaged during superstorm Sandy, but the funds cannot be used to reimburse the borough for the cost of a new ambulance, a fire company official said.
“The grant is very specific,” said Chad Murphy, administrative chief for the Fire Department.
He said the funds granted through the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program must be used for departmental costs only. The borough will be audited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that the funds are used for that purpose, according to Murphy.
He said the grant would be spent on 30 sets of gear used by firefighters during a fire, 10 new air packs and new hoses for all three of the firetrucks.
Murphy said the funds could not be used to repay the borough, which allocated money for the ambulance as part of a larger emergency appropriation following superstorm Sandy, with the expectation of being repaid from the department’s insurance settlement.
Borough officials subsequently learned that the Fire Department had received a $119,000 donation from the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and requested the return of the funds.
Borough Administrator Joseph Verruni said on Aug. 21 that borough officials received a check for $82,000 about three weeks ago from Sea Bright Fire and Rescue Company toward the cost of the ambulance, but may seek the difference between that amount and the $119,000 donated.
“We met with the first aid [squad], and they said they needed the new ambulance. It was $119,000, and they would get at least $82,000 from insurance.
“… Then they received the gift from Bon Jovi that gave them the $119,000 after we had gotten them an ambulance. We felt we should get the $119,000.” He said the council has not heard back from the foundation, but it did get the check for $82,000.
This is the first time in four years that the department is receiving funds through the AFG program.
“There is a whole application process. We have applied every year for a while now, and we got it twice — in 2007 and 2010,” he said. “I applied for this grant about a year ago. Technically, this is a grant for the 2013 fiscal year.”
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D- 6) announced the grant, which is awarded directly to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical services (EMS) organizations for emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training.
Murphy said the FEMA grant cannot be used to repay the borough, and there are no plans to do so.
“There was nothing ever signed, and we are not accountable,” he said.