California

State Hands Grants to Four San Diego Firefighting Agencies

The grants are part of nearly $138 million in funding for 105 fire-safety projects across California

APTOPIX California Wildfires
AP

Fire engulfs a structure during a wildfire Thursday, May 15, 2014, in Escondido, Calif. One of the nine fires burning in San Diego County suddenly flared Thursday afternoon and burned close to homes, trigging thousands of new evacuation orders. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Four San Diego-area firefighting agencies will receive five-, six- and seven-figure state grants to help them fund their wildfire prevention and preparedness programs, officials announced Monday.

The monetary outlays, part of nearly $138 million in funding for 105 local fire-safety projects across California, enable public safety agencies to reduce the risk of wildfire through fuel reduction, emergency planning and fire-prevention education, according to Cal Fire.

Following are the San Diego-area recipients and their grant amounts:

  • San Diego County Fire, $5,221,043
  • Pala Band of Mission Indians, $401,678
  • Urban Corps of San Diego County, $181,539
  • Deer Springs Fire Safe Council, $24,800

"This year, wildfires have once again been extremely severe and damaging, which only highlights our continued need to perform more community- based fire-prevention projects," Cal Fire Chief Thomas Porter said. "Our wildfire and forest strategy includes funding these types of fire-prevention projects to reduce the severity of wildfires and harden our communities."

In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 85, which provided $536 million to accelerate forest health, fire prevention and climate resiliency. The allocation included $123 million for Cal Fire's Fire Prevention Grant Program, including $50 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, with an additional $73 million coming from the state general fund.

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