SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Four San Diego 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.
