On March 26, 2002, the Board of Supervisors authorized the San Bernardino County Consolidated Fire District to apply for the FEMA FY 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program on behalf of all Board-Governed Fire Districts and County Service Areas with fire powers. FEMA evaluated the applications with a focus on a department’s demonstrated financial need for and benefit to be derived from, the grant funds. The Department was successful in obtaining essential grant funding for the Central Valley Fire Protection District; however, the entire County will benefit from this purchase.

Approval of these recommendations will provide crucial financial assistance that will enhance the Fire District’s ability to increase awareness through a mobile educational classroom program designed to eliminate avoidable hazards and deaths. The approved one-year grant will provide $303,324 in funding from FEMA to purchase a mobile Safety Trailer, public information materials, presentation aids and equipment, as well as funding part-time employees to implement the program and provide training for future staff of volunteers and participants of the fire explorers’ program. This “mobile educational classroom” will target the high “at risk” groups of children, seniors and low-income families. Initially, this program is intended for the residents of the Central Valley community, but current analysis revealed a total of 552,047 San Bernardino County residents are under 18 and 146,459 residents are 65 and older.