Co-authored by Preet Bassi, CEO of Center for Public Safety Excellence and Alexandra Fisher, Director of CPSE Center for Innovation
The American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program created a vital opportunity for cities, towns and villages to maintain and strengthen their fire departments and emergency services as they faced unprecedented challenges throughout the COVID‑19 pandemic. With SLFRF allocations, many municipalities made strategic investments in essential upgrades to fire safety operations to improve response times during the COVID-19 pandemic and future emergencies to better support current and future residents and frontline responders.
On average, public safety spending accounts for nearly a quarter of municipal general funds spending, and fire safety is a crucial piece of public safety. In addition to responding to fire emergencies, municipal fire departments also provide general emergency medical services (EMS) and ambulance responses to provide care during a broad range of emergencies. Many municipalities decided to obligate their SLFRF dollars towards fire safety to meet revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic and make one-time investments in fire operations, like replacing outdated fire and EMS equipment or updating fire department facilities, to improve overall operations for the pandemic and future emergencies.
Fire Safety Obligation Trends
Since 2021, NLC has monitored how municipalities have budgeted, obligated and spent $65.1 billion in SLFRF allocations to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Using project descriptions reported to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), NLC found that seven percent of total municipal SLFRF projects funded fire safety investments, totaling $4.4 billion across nearly 8,000 projects. SLFRF funded a variety of fire department-related projects including purchasing new equipment, updating facilities and paying firefighter wages while municipalities recovered from the pandemic.
While recipients of all sizes obligated SLFRF dollars to fire safety projects, small municipalities prioritized fire-related projects more than larger cities. Of fire safety projects, 57 percent were reported to the Treasury by municipalities with less than 10,0000 residents, and cities with less than 50,000 residents accounted for 87 percent of all fire safety projects. This trend follows broader obligation trends: 18 percent of small communities’ SLFRF allocations funded public safety projects, while only eight percent of large localities’ obligations funded public safety. The prioritization of fire safety projects underscores the importance of maintaining and investing in critical services during pandemic recovery, especially by municipalities with smaller budgets.
Small Communities Reported Nearly 90 Percent of Fire Safety Projects
Percent (%) of SLFRF Fire Safety Projects, By Population
Figure Note: Percentages are calculated as a proportion of total municipal fire safety SLFRF projects (n=7,777) matched to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau population data (n=4,707); county and U.S. territory recipients are excluded; municipalities under 50,000 residents are considered small communities by NLC.
Strengthening Fire Services Through Accreditation
The Center for Public Safety Excellence® (CPSE®) helps high-performing fire agencies continuously improve through agency accreditation overseen by the Commission of Fire Accreditation International® (CFAI®). CFAI accreditation is a process in which agencies undergo a self-assessment focused on identifying strengths and areas for improvement. The Fire and Emergency Services Self-Assessment Model (FESSAM) guides departments in their self-assessment process. The FESSAM address all aspects of a fire agency’s operations and management and contains 11 categories:
- Governance and Administration
- Assessment and Planning
- Goals and Objectives
- Financial Resources
- Community Risk Reduction Program
- Physical Resources
- Human Resources
- Training and Competency
- Essential Resources
- External Systems Relationships
- Health, Safety and Wellness
Additionally, agencies must work closely with their communities to conduct a Community Risk Assessment and develop Standards of Cover (CRA-SOC). The CRA-SOC outlines agency performance capability and expectations, including response times and final outcomes of both emergency and non-emergency events. Accredited agencies also create a Community-Driven Strategic Plan which requires evaluating the overall health of the organization and its future. As a result of these efforts, accredited agencies can quickly and effectively identify their needs and the needs of their communities in times of crisis, like the COVID-19 public health emergency. Thirty-one CFAI agencies received SLFRF funding through their municipalities for 44 projects totaling over $168 million dollars.
City Spotlight: Supporting Pandemic Emergency Response in Columbus, Ga.
Using the core competencies from the FESSAM model and strategic planning already completed through accreditation, Columbus Fire & EMS could swiftly deploy $4.3 million in SLFRF dollars allocated by the City of Columbus, Ga. to meet community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Salvatore Scarpa said the following:
“Columbus Fire & EMS proudly serves the City of Columbus and Muscogee County, providing advanced life support emergency medical transport services. Our ambulance fleet is the backbone of this mission, ensuring timely care for those in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we transported hundreds of COVID-positive patients while managing unprecedented call volumes of all types. This surge placed significant strain on aging resources, and the potential risk continues today and will likely persist for the foreseeable future.
Thanks to ARPA funding, we were able to purchase new ambulances and fire apparatus to replace our aged fleet and expand our capabilities. These investments ensure that our department can continue delivering adequate medical care and emergency services throughout the community. Additional equipment strengthens our comprehensive response, improves reliability, and enhances readiness for future emergencies.
By modernizing our fleet, we reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding lives and supporting the health and safety of Columbus and Muscogee County. ARPA funding has allowed us to meet today’s challenges while preparing for tomorrow, ensuring that citizens receive the highest level of care when it matters most.”
ARPA’s SLFRF program represented a tremendous opportunity for local leaders to address fire safety impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By pairing these federal funds with CPSE’s self-assessment accreditation model, agencies, like Columbus Fire & EMS, were better positioned to respond effectively during a time of crisis.
Learn More
To learn more about how communities obligated their SLFRF allocations, visit the Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker for more information.
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