Anchorage Assembly to consider $130,000 state grant for fire department training

A $130,000 state grant would pay for leadership, safety and emergency vehicle technician training for the Anchorage Fire Department under a resolution before the Anchorage Assembly on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Professional development companies would teach the courses at the fire department or online, according to the administration's memo, so employees would not have to travel for the training.

The city has already received the award, according to the memo. The money comes from the State Training and Employment Program, run by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The grant is reimbursable, meaning the state repays what the city spends.

Most of the money, $120,400, would go to contracted training services. The budget sets aside $7,000 for parts and supplies and $2,600 for overhead.

The grant period began July 1 and runs through June 30, 2027. The appropriation depends on the city receiving a fully executed agreement with the state, according to the resolution and memo.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance submitted the request, and Fire Chief Doug Schrage approved the memo. The administration recommends approval. The item is on the consent agenda, which the agenda describes as typically routine items not required to be set for public hearing. The meeting starts at 5 pm in the Assembly Chambers.

The state program is funded through a set-aside from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, and local and state government agencies are eligible to apply, according to the Alaska Workforce Investment Board. For the 2027 program year, the board offered about $7 million statewide, with individual awards expected between $25,000 and $400,000, according to its request for grant applications.

The department's 2026 approved budget funds 408 full-time positions and about $132 million in direct costs for the year, so the training grant is a small fraction of that total.

The same night, the Assembly also takes up four state transportation grants for Anchorage police enforcement of impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding and street racing.