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C. 2

To:	Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board of Directors
From:	Jeff Carman, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Date:	November 13, 2018

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

2018 Assistance to Firefighters Grant - Rehabilitation Unit

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 11/13/2018

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, Director
Candace Andersen, Director
Diane Burgis, Director
Karen Mitchoff, Director
Federal D. Glover, Director

Contact:

Aaron McAlister, Assistant Chief 925-941-3300

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: November 13, 2018
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to apply for and accept grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program in an amount not to exceed $650,000 for the purchase of a regional emergency firefighter rehabilitation vehicle.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The total grant application would be $650,000 with a 15% local agency cost sharing requirement. The federal share of the grant would be $552,500 and the District’s share would be $97,500. The grant award may be lower than the amount requested and will be for a period of one year from the effective date of award.

BACKGROUND:

The purpose of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The funds provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. AFG has three activities: Operations and Safety, Vehicle Acquisition, and Regional Projects. Each activity has its own eligibility requirements. The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (District) will apply for this project under Regional Projects.

The District is seeking approval to request funding to purchase 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.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

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 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 until additional fiscal resources are available.