Mobile Fire And Rescue Department (MFRD) Wins Award, Grant

The emergency medical services staff at MFRD recently received the “Culture of Excellence” award from the Office of Emergency Medical Services within the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). The award is received as the result of years of improvements in the way the department’s ambulances are operated and maintained, how it responds to emergencies and how it reports critical data to the state. “There are very few agencies that receive the award from ADPH each year, but MFRD operates to a ‘superb’ standard,” the department explained. “Because the state inspections involved are unannounced, it really gives a snapshot of how our crews are operating every day.”

Additionally, MFRD was recently awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant for $5,360,000. The federal grant was created to provide funding directly to fire departments to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance local fire departments’ abilities to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association. The grant provides MFRD the opportunity to hire 30 additional firefighters. Fire Chief Jeremy Lami explained, “These 30 additional firefighters will have a direct impact on the safety of our responders and allow us to better serve the citizens of Mobile. Staffing is also a critical component of our ISO-1 rating, and the SAFER grant will help us strengthen our status as one of the top-rated departments in the country.”