City of Flint

October is Fire Prevention Month, and the Flint Fire Department hosted kids from around the city for Fire Prevention Week activities. Last week, the department was dedicated to sharing information about fire safety and emergency preparedness. Flint kids were able to experience interactive equipment demonstrations including a full tour of the trucks and ambulances, how firefighters gear up, and a fire hose demonstration. They were also paid a visit by Mayor Neeley, as well as Sparky, the National Fire Protection Association ‘spokesdog’. Thank you to all of the future firefighters who participated in the week’s activities!

Photos by Nico Mendoza / Story by Ron Fonger for The Flint Journal: The city put its own ambulances into service for the first time in more than 20 years on Tuesday, Oct. 1, aiming to cut down on what officials say are unacceptable wait times for emergency help in Flint. The first-day dispatch run sheet was routine, including a vehicle accident with injuries, an epileptic seizure, and a person having difficulty breathing, but Mayor Sheldon Neeley said that over time, the service has the potential to save lives. City officials said they had no choice in making the move because the existing, market-driven private ambulance system in Genesee County is often operating in crisis mode with only one ambulance available to serve Flint and many surrounding areas. “When I was informed of the dire situation facing Flint residents due to the county-wide ambulance shortage, I immediately directed my team to bring an ambulance service back in-house within the Flint Fire Department,” Neeley said in a statement before a news conference announcing the start of ambulance runs on Tuesday. “I want to thank Chief (Theron) Wiggins and our entire team for moving so quickly and effectively on this initiative. They understood the assignment: saving the lives of Flint residents. I’m confident that this will have a life-saving impact.” Continue reading: https://lnkd.in/gRw45q3M

𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 Watch Livestream: https://lnkd.in/g8VY-srK The City of Flint Fire Department is launching its own ambulance service on October 1, with the goal of reducing emergency response times for Flint residents. The City of Flint will always have two ambulances in service, with a third ambulance as backup in case one of the primary ambulances needs repairs. All City of Flint firefighters are certified EMTs and some firefighter/EMTs have additional training in pediatrics and trauma. All Flint Firefighter/EMTs are qualified to both drive the ambulance and provide life support. A countywide shortage of ambulances and EMS personnel has resulted in long wait times for Flint residents who need emergency medical transport. “Crisis mode” has become routine for Genesee County 911; often only one ambulance is available to serve all 600-square-miles of Genesee County. “When I was informed of the dire situation facing Flint residents due to the county-wide ambulance shortage, I immediately directed my team to bring an ambulance service back in-house within the Flint Fire Department,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “I want to thank Chief Wiggins and our entire team for moving so quickly and effectively on this initiative. They understood the assignment: Saving the lives of Flint residents. I’m confident that this will have a life-saving impact.” The City of Flint ambulance service will operate exclusively in Flint, and will serve all residents, workers, and visitors in need within the city limits. However, the City of Flint will still be served by private ambulance companies as well. As usual, the closest ambulance available will be dispatched by Genesee County 9-1-1. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gttbPpVE

It was an honor to welcome NanoGraf to Flint today! Mayor Neeley joined Dr. Francis Wang, CEO of NanoGraf and many other partners to celebrate the US Department of Energy's $60 million grant to support this 100% US-owned company's expansion into Flint. Tim Porcelli, Vice President of Business Development for NanoGraf, noted that they chose Flint for three simple reasons: 1. An eager and skilled workforce 2. A rich history of manufacturing 3. And a community that matches NanoGraf's values This partnership has already exceeded our expectations and we have so much to look forward to: educational partnerships, union-supported jobs for Flint residents, and the opportunity to fuel our nation's electrification with safe and clean battery material. Please join us in welcoming NanoGraf! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ggM2cczK

Come make your voice in Flint’s future heard! The City of Flint is holding a series of public input meetings on the Imagine Flint Comprehensive Plan. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Hasselbring Senior Community Center. The topic will be Education and Workforce Development and will focus on progress made towards objectives such as strengthening educational attainment of youth, increasing access to employment opportunities, and increasing the skills of Flint’s adult workforce. This latest round of meetings is happening on Thursdays through October 24. All meetings will be held at Hasselbring Center. Residents will hear from Planning Division members about the progress made on the plan’s objectives since its adoption in 2013, including what has been accomplished and what aspects need to be updated. Our community has gone through a lot of changes since 2013, so our plan needs to reflect how our priorities as a community have also changed.  You can view the Comprehensive Plan here: https://lnkd.in/gxAjWwip Those who are unable to attend in person can fill out a survey on this topic here: https://lnkd.in/geTTSNkB

We would like to congratulate all those who participated in Mayor Sheldon Neeley's Youth Summer Job Training program, and recognize them for the hard work and dedication they showed this season. This past Saturday a luncheon was held at Cathedral of Faith to celebrate their accomplishments with each participant receiving a certificate of achievement. Thank you for all the wonderful work you did around our city this summer!

𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 $𝟏𝟕𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐭. 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐟. The project is expected to initially create 200 new construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs. Permanent jobs will support a diverse level of skills, from entry level to highly technical. The NanoGraf plant will supply 1.5 million EV batteries per year. That's almost as many cars as the entire state of Michigan currently produces in one year. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧. “No City of Flint funding has been invested in this project, and there is no tax abatement,” Emily Doerr, Flint Director of Business and Community Services said. “This means our community will receive the full benefits of this economic multiplier from day one, including increased tax revenue to support local infrastructure and service for Flint residents.” “NanoGraf has worked intentionally with the City of Flint to develop relationships with local leaders to support both NanoGraf’s expansion and the city’s continued development,” Tyler Bailey, Flint Deputy Director of Business Services said. “Each of Flint’s institutions of higher education have pledged to collaborate with NanoGraf to create workforce development programs, including curriculum for entry level employment through Mott Community College, managerial positions with the University of Michigan-Flint, and highly technical apprenticeships and future employment opportunities with students and graduates of Kettering University.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ggM2cczK