A $3.46 million FEMA grant would pay most of the cost of 18 firefighters for a sixth station serving Highland Ranch and Verde Ridge. Clermont pays $2.99M.
Updated Oct. 17: The City Council accepted the grant 5-0 on Oct. 13 as part of the consent agenda, according to the summary of actions. More from that meeting in our story on the 2045 plan vote.
Clermont would hire 18 more firefighters to staff a sixth fire station in the Highland Ranch and Verde Ridge area under a federal grant the City Council is asked to accept Tuesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the city $3.46 million through its Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, known as SAFER. The award and a fire department staff report are in the council’s agenda packet for Oct. 13. The item is on the consent agenda, the list of items the city treats as routine. Any resident, staff member or council member can ask to speak on a consent item.
Why the department says it needs a sixth station
The staff report says the northeast of the city has grown faster than its fire coverage. Highland Ranch, Esplanade and Wellness Way are named as the growth areas. The department’s figures:
- Travel times to Highland Ranch and Verde Ridge are 10 to 12 minutes, against 4 to 6 minutes in the rest of the city.
- The area covers more than 3,700 acres, with over 2,700 homes built or under construction.
- Calls citywide rose from 7,625 in 2023 to 8,589 in 2025, up 12.6%.
- Calls from Highland Ranch and Esplanade rose 25% in the past year.
- Clermont’s population grew from 48,988 in 2025 to 51,043 in 2026, the report says.
The report says crews have been cut to three per unit at multi-company stations. Under the grant, the department expects to meet the national NFPA 1710 staffing benchmark on more than 90% of shifts, up from less than 15% now. It also projects response times in the area could fall by up to 60%.
Every new firefighter would also respond to medical calls. All the city’s front-line trucks carry at least one paramedic, the report says.
The packet does not say where Station 6 would be built or when it would open.
What it costs
FEMA’s award letter puts the usual cost of a first-year Clermont firefighter at $103,957.57: $59,650.24 in salary and $44,307.33 in benefits. FEMA pays 75% of that cost in each of the first two years and 35% in the third.
The grant does not cover equipment or future raises, so the city pays more than the headline split. Staff estimate the three-year cost at $6,455,962:
| Grant year | Total cost | Federal share | City share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $2,351,878 | $1,403,427 | $948,451 |
| Year 2 | $2,002,922 | $1,403,427 | $599,495 |
| Year 3 | $2,101,162 | $654,933 | $1,446,229 |
| Total | $6,455,962 | $3,461,787 | $2,994,175 |
Year 1 includes $480,642 for equipment.
The grant years start after recruitment, tentatively in March 2027, staff wrote. After the third year the city carries the full cost.
The positions were not in the budget the council adopted for the year that began Oct. 1. Accepting the grant means a General Fund budget amendment of $1,052,570 in revenue and $1,884,069 in spending, a net cost of $831,499 this year.
Staff put the cost at $14.05 per resident a year with the grant, or $36.66 without it.
This is a separate award from a 2025 SAFER grant the council accepted earlier, the report says.
What it means for you
If you live in Highland Ranch, Verde Ridge or Esplanade, the department’s own figures show crews now take about twice as long to reach you as it does elsewhere in the city. A staffed station in your area is the department’s answer to that.
The council meets at 3 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 685 W. Montrose St. You can speak on the item when the consent agenda comes up, or during public comment, for up to three minutes.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda: a proposed e-bike ban on downtown and waterfront trails and sidewalks and a $15.36 million state water loan. Our Police and Fire log covers the department’s calls, and our neighborhood guide has more on the northeast of the city.
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