June 27, 2001 – The acting director of Fire Services said Wednesday that if the Legislature approves the administration's request for a supplemental appropriation of $500,000, the department will be able to hire additional firefighters.
This, in turn, will result in "a drastic reduction of overtime spending territorywide," Ian Williams Sr. said in a release from Government House.
The additional funding also would enable Fire Services to reopen the Dorothea and Bordeaux fire stations on St. Thomas, he said. According to the release, "Plans are also being developed to reopen the Cotton Valley fire station on St. Croix."
Williams also announced that Fire Services has applied for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for equipment and personal protection gear, and for another grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, for assistance in fighting fires aboard marine vessels.
