FEMA Quickly Authorizes Firefighting Funds For California's Canyon Fire

Release Date: July 25, 2003
Release Number: R9-03-49

» 2003 Region IX News Releases

Oakland, CA -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized firefighting funds to help California fight the uncontrolled Canyon fire burning in Riverside County within an hour of being contacted by the state.

Michael D. Brown, under secretary for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA director, approved the request for federal fire management assistance on July 25 at 10:30 p.m. EDT. At that time, the 8,000-acre fire posed an immediate threat to 500 homes; 1000 people were evacuated from the towns of Poppet Flats and Pine Cove. The state made the request at 9:45 p.m. EDT.

The authorization is the fifth granted to the state this year. FEMA firefighting assistance was previously authorized for the Railroad fire near Lake Elsinore on July 3, the Tejon fire in Kern County on June 29, the Sawmill fire in Kern County on June 28 and the Pacific fire in Los Angeles County on January 7.

Federal fire management assistance is provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. The assistance pays 75 percent of a state's eligible firefighting and emergency response costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. Eligible state firefighting costs covered by the aid can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Monday, 15-Sep-2003 15:34:31