THE Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services — one of the frontline agencies in the ongoing efforts to protect the CNMI from the Covid-19 pandemic — will get more funding than it requested for fiscal year 2022.
DFEMS requested a budget of $5.7 million but will receive $6.1 million under Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ revised budget submission.
The amount will include American Rescue Plan Act funds.
DFEMS Commissioner Dennis Mendiola broke the good news during the budget hearing conducted by the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Donald Manglona on Thursday in the House chamber.
“I am really thankful. As commissioner, I want to thank the administration for infusing additional funds for the department through ARPA,” Mendiola said, noting that the additional funds will be used mainly for personnel.
The FY 2021 budget allotted $3.56 million for DFEMS.
“It’s good news that the governor and the [Office of Management and Budget] are really looking out for the department in making sure that we have adequate manpower, and that is pretty much what the additional funding is for,” Mendiola said.
DFEMS plans to hire 52 additional firefighters and first responders for Saipan, Tinian and Rota, he added.
Right now, he said, there is an ongoing fire academy conducted with Northern Marianas College, and eligible cadets will soon go through the department’s hiring process.
The commissioner said, currently DFEMS is “stretched out” between the Covid-19 pandemic operations and its regular services to the community.
“We are still in a pandemic so we are trying to make sure that we continue to work with the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force while at the same time rendering our essential services to the community,” he said.
DFEMS is trying to build its manpower so that its Covid-19 tasks will not hamper its regular operations, Mendiola said.
Dennis Mendiola
