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2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program / New Engine Company / Los Angeles Fire Department

Council File 17-1434-S6

In progress — the city won a $7.7 million federal grant to add a second fire engine and twelve firefighters to Station 7 in Panorama City, and is now moving through implementation oversight with recent reports under committee review.

Introduced
2023-10-06
Last changed
2026-09-11
Status
open
Expires
2028-09-11
Committee
Budget and Finance Committee
Mover
IMELDA PADILLA
Second
TRACI PARK
References
Board Report: 24-019; 25-060City Administrative Officer Report: 0130-02079-0001; 0130-02079-0002

Brief

Council File 17-1434-S6 authorizes acceptance of a 2022 federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to fund a new fire engine company in Los Angeles. Introduced by Councilmember Imelda Padilla in October 2023, the motion was adopted by Council in October 2023 and again in January 2024 following mayoral action. The Fire Department and City Administrative Officer have submitted supporting documentation. As of September 2026, the item remains pending in Budget and Finance Committee and Public Safety Committee, with a Budget and Finance Committee meeting scheduled for September 15, 2026.

Full summary

The Panorama City area near Woodman Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard has long been served by a single fire engine at Fire Station 7, creating dangerous coverage gaps when that engine is tied up on an emergency. A deployment analysis conducted by Citygate and Associates found that response travel times in this area are unacceptably extended during simultaneous incidents, and that a second engine company is needed. Because building a new fire station takes three to five years, the LAFD pursued a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant as an interim solution, winning an award of $7,752,582 to fund a second engine at Station 7 and the twelve additional firefighter positions required to staff it. Councilmember Imelda Padilla introduced the motion in November 2023, directing the LAFD to report within 30 days on the status of SAFER grant programming and plans to deploy the second engine. The motion noted that LAFD employs 3,520 firefighters, below the National Fire Protection Association's recommended ratio for a city of Los Angeles's size, and framed the grant as a way to begin closing both a localized coverage gap in Panorama City and a broader staffing shortfall across the San Fernando Valley. The Council first authorized acceptance of the SAFER grant on October 20, 2023, then moved through a fuller implementation review in fall 2024. After sequential approvals by the Public Safety, Personnel Audits and Hiring, and Budget Finance and Innovation committees, the Council adopted the implementation package on November 6, 2024, by a vote of 14-0-1, with the Mayor acting by November 18, 2024. Since that final Council action, oversight of the grant's implementation has continued. The Board of Fire Commissioners submitted a follow-up report in October 2025, and the City Administrative Officer submitted additional documentation in July 2026. Both have been referred to the Budget and Finance and Public Safety committees, indicating that the file remains active as an ongoing implementation and accountability matter rather than a closed grant acceptance. The file is open and pending in committee as of late July 2026.

Activity (35)

  • 2026-09-11 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 15, 2026.
  • 2026-08-26 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2026-08-21 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on August 26, 2026.
  • 2026-07-24 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Public Safety Committee.
  • 2026-07-23 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated July 23, 2026.
  • 2025-10-23 Board of Fire Commissioners document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Public Safety Committee.
  • 2025-10-22 Document submitted by Board of Fire Commissioners, dated October 22, 2025.
  • 2024-11-18 Council action final.
  • 2024-11-06 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is November 18, 2024.
  • 2024-11-06 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2024-11-01 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on November 6, 2024.
  • 2024-10-09 Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee concurred with the October 1, 2024 action of the Personnel, Audits and Hiring Committee and September 24, 2024 action of the Public Safety Committee.
  • 2024-10-04 Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 9, 2024.
  • 2024-10-01 Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee transmitted Council File to Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee.
  • 2024-10-01 Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2024-09-27 Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 1, 2024.
  • 2024-09-25 Public Safety Committee transmitted Council File to Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee.
  • 2024-09-24 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2024-09-20 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 24, 2024.
  • 2024-09-20 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee; Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee; Public Safety Committee.
  • 2024-09-20 Document(s) submitted by City Administrative Officer, as follows:City Administrative Officer report 0130-02079-0001, dated September 20, 2024, relative to accepting the Fiscal Year 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) grant award.
  • 2024-02-21 Board of Fire Commissioners document(s) referred to Public Safety Committee.
  • 2024-02-20 Document(s) submitted by Board of Fire Commissioners, as follows:Board of Fire Commissioners report, dated February 20, 2024, relative to the 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) grant award.
  • 2024-01-31 Council action final.
  • 2024-01-30 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2024-01-26 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on January 30, 2024.
  • 2023-11-28 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2023-11-22 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on November 28, 2023.
  • 2023-11-07 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.
  • 2023-10-27 Council action final.
  • 2023-10-20 Council transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is October 30, 2023.
  • 2023-10-20 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2023-10-17 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on October 20, 2023.
  • 2023-10-13 Public Safety Committee waived consideration of item .
  • 2023-10-06 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.

Documents (17)

Council votes (1)

  • 2024-11-06 Adopted Forthwith — 14-0-1 · Regular

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