Fernandina Beach Fire and Police Departments need help hiring from grants

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — The Fernandina Beach Fire Department is understaffed, and the police department is trying to expand its force. So, both departments are applying for federal grants to help meet their staffing needs. Action News Jax dug deeper into the department’s request and the cost of both grants.

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To keep up with the needs of the community, the Fernandina Beach Fire Department is applying for a grant that’s nearly $1 million, and the police department is doing the same with a grant of over $300,000.

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As the city continues to grow, so do the demands of their departments, especially their first responders. That’s why the fire and police departments both requested approvals to apply for federal grants during the last city commission meeting.

“Applying for a grant, we have to have to seek commission approval, which is what we did on February 20th,” Police Chief Jeffery Tambasco said. “We got a 5 and 0 vote, which means all commissioners supported us.”

The police department is applying for a $375,000 grant to help expand its force, while the fire department is applying for a grant close to $1 million to increase staff.

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Fire Chief Ty Silcox said the fire department currently has 33 firefighters working 48 to 72 hours of overtime per week. He said the grant will help the department to recruit six new personnel.

Police Chief Jeffery Tambasco said his department currently has 35 active police officers. He said the grant would help increase that number to 40 but mainly increase the department’s services.

“As we annex more property in the city, we know our calls for service are going to increase,” Tambasco said. “We want to make sure we provide the best customer service that we possibly can.”

Locals are backing the department’s decision to grant support.

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“For of all, Fernandina Beach is growing by leaps and bounds, resident Kathy Palumbo said. “The last thing you want is a fire department and police department that can’t keep up with the demands. I think it’s brilliant.”

And lifelong Fernandina Beach resident Joe Manken said he’s a big supporter of the fire department.

“The fire department has helped my family before,” Manken said. “When my brother was dying, they came out to help. If the fire department needs people, I’m on board with that.”

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Police Chief Jeffery Tambasco said it could take weeks to know if they get approved for the grant after applying.

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