The purpose of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program is to enhance, through direct financial assistance, the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel and to provide a continuum of support for emergency responders regarding fire, medical, and all-hazard events. FY 2015 AFG programs play an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System (NPS) by supporting the building, sustainment, and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal (NPG) of a secure and resilient nation. Delivering core capabilities requires the combined effort of the whole community, rather than the exclusive effort of any single organization or level of government.
The District is seeking approval to apply for three federal grants as part of the FY 2015 AFG program.
The first grant would cover technical rescue training, including confined space rescue, auto extrication, swift water rescue, low angle rope rescue, helicopter rescue training with STARR3, and two rescue systems courses. In addition, this grant would cover the cost of overtime backfill for all attendees and those positions needed to cover minimum staffing of fire stations during the training. This training is critical for our personnel assigned to rescue companies and ladder companies. As part of the all-hazards mission of the District, we are routinely called upon to provide specialized rescue services. The total grant application would be $709,500 with a 10% match. The federal share of the grant would be $638,550 and the District’s share would be $70,950.
The second grant would request funding to replace three aging water tenders. Water tenders are used for vegetation fire responses and other fire incidents where fire hydrants are limited or non-existent. They carry 1500-2500 gallons of water depending on their configuration, as compared to 500 gallons of water carried on the typical fire engine. The District, at one time, had a fleet of six water tenders, but that has been reduced to three due to the age and reliability of these units. Of the three water tenders owned by the District, only one is reliable enough to place in daily service. Two of these water tenders are 33 years old and one is 23 years old. This grant would provide three “tactical” water tenders, each carrying 1950 gallons of water and 20-50 gallons of foam. The cost of each water tender, including sales tax, is approximately $350,000. The total grant application would be $1,050,000 with a 10% match. The federal share of the grant would be $945,000 and the District’s share would be $105,000.
The third grant would request funding to provide a firefighter rehabilitation unit with breathing air support capability. This rehab unit would provide the necessary equipment and supplies, cooling and warming stations, medical oxygen, and rehabilitation facilities to assist firefighters in properly and safely rehabilitating after fire incidents. In addition, the unit will provide critical breathing air refilling capabilities at fire scenes. The District presently has one breathing air support unit, used as a regional asset to support all the agencies in the County, and it is used extensively and as such is suffering more than normal wear and subsequent breakdowns. The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District is called upon to provide breathing air support as far away as Discovery Bay in the event of a breakdown of our unit. This unit would provide a second unit with breathing air capability for the District and would also serve the other fire agencies in the County as a regional asset. This grant would be applied for under the regional grant program of the AFG, and as such the unit would be required to be made available to the other jurisdictions in the County when requested. The total grant application would be $650,000 with a 15% match. The federal share of the grant would be $552,500 and the District’s share would be $97,500.
Contra Costa County is home to major industry, railroads, local and state roadways, and dense population and commercial centers built on four major earthquake faults. It is imperative that the District has state-of-the-art firefighting and rescue equipment available at all times and our personnel are trained to the highest standards in order to provide the best possible emergency response to its customers. Failure to approve this grant request would cause the District to forego the purchase of the much needed equipment and provide the specialized training until additional fiscal resources are available.