Annie Lindgren | North Forty News
The Wellington Fire Protection District received a grant award of $20,400 from the Larimer County Immediate Needs Grant. These funds will be used to offset payroll expenses associated with essential worker employees that are instructed to not report to work due to COIVD and COVID-like illness or have tested positive for COVID. The funds positively impact the ability to provide essential services to the community.
The funds are needed to continue to protect frontline personnel and cover backfill for those who have tested positive, and to prevent the spread of COVID and COVID-like illness within the organization and the community. First responders are exposed daily to COVID-related illness which inevitably creates significant staffing challenges for providing emergency response when exposure results in infection. With limited staffing, providing backfill for first responders has created significant financial hardship to our overtime and worker’s compensation expenditures.
“Special Districts were overlooked for direct ARA funding. We owe a big thank you to the Larimer County Commissioners and Josh Fudge for providing an opportunity for Special Districts to apply as a grant sub-recipient from the County’s ARA. This funding will help keep our budget for critical response from being impacted by unanticipated expenses from COVID,” shares Ashley Macdonald, Deputy District Manager for the Wellington Fire Department.