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For Immediate Release
January 11, 2012
Contact: Fire Chief Kevin Rennie, 805-339-4310
Lysa Urban, 805-677-3914

City of Ventura reopens Fire Station 4 using Federal Grant Money

Today, the City of Ventura Fire Department reopened Fire Station 4, located at 8303 Telephone Road, using a $2.3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Station 4 was closed in July 2010 due to the city’s budget shortfall for the fiscal year 2010-11. In addition to the closure, the city eliminated nine fire staff positions.

In November 2011, the Ventura City Council approved acceptance of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant. The SAFER Program goal is to enhance a local fire department’s ability to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA.)

With this funding, the city is able to hire nine firefighter-paramedics, reopen Fire Station 4 and ensure Ventura’s six fire stations will be fully staffed. “Grants like this can save lives,” said Ventura City Fire Chief Kevin Rennie, “and safely protecting life, property and the environment is our number one priority. The city’s other fire stations were able to respond to medical emergencies and fires while Station 4 was closed, but when every second counts, reopening means improved emergency response times citywide.”

City Manager Rick Cole says, “Closing Station 4 was part of reducing government spending by $15 million to live within our means, due to the fall in revenue from the recession. Revenues continue to stagnate because of the sputtering economy. The City Council accepted the Federal grant with the goal of using the next three years to work out a sustainable way to ensure adequate emergency protection for our entire community. The grant by itself is not a long-term solution, but our aim is to use it as a bridge to a solution."

Community members are invited to celebrate the station reopening during an Open House and ribbon cutting at Station 4 on Saturday, January 21 from 10am to 11am.

For more information about the City of Ventura Fire Department, visit www.cityofventura.net/fire.

This release is available on the City of Ventura website at www.cityofventura.net. -###--