For whatever reason, the taxpayers in Salem, New Hampshire have not provided budgets for their fire department to add the personnel or equipment the ‘chief’ thinks they need. But,
Now, thanks to a $1.5 million SAFER grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Parisi has been able to add eight new firefighters, increasing each of his four shift rotations from 15 to 17 members.
Salem has added staff for which the feds are only paying 75% for the first two years and 35% for the third. After that, Salem Taxpayers are on the hook for all of it.
Ann Kuster is proud. And so is the chief.
(Chief) Parisi said Kuster and the other congressional delegates have been champions of grant programs for local fire departments.
More like a champion of tying taxpayers to spending they didn’t want or can’t afford and federal strings to boot.
And before anyone starts whining about needs and wants and first responders and any of that, I think they should get whatever they need if the taxpayers decide they want it and make it a priority to fund it. I’m not sure what process was followed but typically grants are sold by the powers-that-be as free or easy money, and if people aren’t told about the fine print they can be convinced to buy in. But it’s a trap.
Big government an grow government advocates use these bloat budgets and swindle tax dollars out of citizens by tying them to federal regulations and rules from which there is no escape.
I don’t know if that’s how this went down but Salem needs to come up with that $1.5 million or more in every future budget when the “guarantees expire” because that staff isn’t going anywhere.
Here’s some more good news.
Effective August 1st Chief Parisis is the new State Fire Marshall. Maybe he can find a way to tie taxpayers hands all across the state to federal grants that require them to cover the added costs when they expire even if they never asked for them, debated them, or voted for them.
