City Council met Monday to discuss the $460,000 grant the Athens Fire Department received in order to fund new positions for two years.
The funding comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and will help combat the Athens Fire Department’s understaffing problem.
The Athens Fire Department is currently down nine positions due to some firefighters being in probationary training and other vacancies due to firefighters being on medical leave. The grant will help increase the total staff from 15 to 18.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said the process of training a firefighter is lengthy and expensive, with firefighters in probationary training being required to undergo one year of supervised work before they can operate on their own. He clarified they are still working during that time.
A $10,000 grant for safety equipment for firefighters was also announced during the meeting, having come from the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Council also discussed Ohio House Bill 33 and Ohio Senate Bill 83, both of which concern higher education in the state of Ohio.
The first intends to ban diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, departments as an organization or formal title recognition as well as ban mandatory DEI training. While the second further intends to ban any content deemed controversial or that would make anyone uncomfortable, and also would ban universities from taking a stance on any controversial issues with the exception of declaring support for U.S. war against foreign powers.
Councilmember Solveig Spjeldnes, D-1st Ward, who served as a social work professor at Ohio University until 2020, called attention to the effect the bill will have on social work. She said social work requires completion of anti-racism coursework for social workers to be accredited, coursework that Ohio Senate Bill 83 would ban for being too controversial.
Council unanimously agreed to seek a resolution of opposition against Ohio Senate Bill 83, which will be introduced at its next meeting.
