The City of Laredo Fire Department has identified the need for more personnel to supplement our minimum staffing levels, therein supporting Homeland Security initiatives and providing for a better quality of life for the people we serve.

The City of Laredo strives to meet the National Fire Protection’s standard for organization and deployment of at least four firefighters per apparatus. Currently we staff approximately three (3) firefighters per apparatus utilizing minimum staffing on our units. Laredo deals with a significant transient population as the largest inland port on the southern United States border. In 2005, Laredo handled over $266.6 billion in overland trade between the United States and Mexico. This commerce generates over 9,000 commercial trucks and 2,000 rail cars daily. This amounts to 3.2 million trucks and 730,000 rail cars in one year, with traffic projected to only increase in the future. Additionally, Laredo processed 4.1 million pedestrians going into Mexico in 2004. This is an average of approximately 300,000 people that come into Laredo on a monthly basis. The Laredo Fire Department has the responsibility of covering the transient population and goods while they are in and around Laredo, therein providing safety and security for a majority of the US / Mexico Trade in Texas.

Laredo will also be expanding its fire services to its citizens with the completion of Fire Station #14 later this year. While the City has already prepared to staff this station with a new class of cadets already being formed, there will still be a need for additional staff. The approximately 10 new firefighters will only make a slight addition to the total of 332 because of anticipated promotions once the new fire station is online, in addition to retiring personnel in the next few years.

The Fire Department’s services go beyond city limits with the existence of an Inter-local Agreement renewed each year between the City of Laredo and the County of Webb. This expands the Fire Department’s jurisdiction to a 83.44-square mile area and to a total fixed population of 210,000.

The City of Laredo has applied and will reapply for funding from project SAFER.

The City of Laredo Fire Department has applied for this year’s SAFER grant. Grant funding available through this program would supplement the City and reduce the burden on its citizens on some of its investment in public safety personnel. This in turn will upgrade the protection that is needed in the city, county and along the border, where therein lies the true frontline for Homeland Security. Our initiative is to acquire federal funding to provide additional response personnel and therein supplement response companies with adequate staffing (not minimum) to ensure the safety of the community, the border, and the firefighters.

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)