To: Board of Supervisors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: FY 24 Assistance to Firefighters Grant - Ladder Truck
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, RATIFY the District’s grant application; and APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to accept grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000, for the purchase of a ladder truck.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant project is $1,650,000. The maximum federal award capable is $1,500,000 with a minimum 10% local agency cost-sharing requirement of $150,000. The District will use the City of Pinole development impact fees and city general funds for the cost-sharing portion.
BACKGROUND:
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program objectives are to provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, outfit responders with compliant personal protective equipment to increase responders’ physical protection against hazards during incident response, provide funding to retrofit or modify facilities to protect personnel from known health hazards, acquire emergency response vehicles, design and implement health, wellness and resiliency programs that prepare responders for incident response, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience.
The District intends to place a ladder truck in service at Fire Station 73, located in Pinole, due to planned multi-story residential housing development within the city. Fire Station 73 formerly housed a ladder truck, but it was removed from service several years ago by the city and has not been replaced. The grant application deadline was December 20, 2024, which required the District to submit the application before gaining Board approval.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, the District will rescind its grant application with FEMA. The District would not be able to pursue grant funding for this firefighting apparatus.