Department Of Homeland Security Responds To California Wildfires

Release Date: October 26, 2003
Release Number: R9-03-105

» 2003 Region IX News Releases

Oakland, CA - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, through its Federal Emergency Management Agency, in collaboration with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, is responding quickly to the recent outbreak of wildfires in California. Thousands of emergency responders are involved at the federal, state and local level.

"FEMA is responsible for coordinating federal assets, and we are providing California with substantial resources to fight these current wildfires and others that have threatened the state this year," said Jeff Griffin, regional director of FEMA Region IX, which serves California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and several western Pacific jurisdictions. "Our regional operations center is open 24/7 with staff pre-positioned to support any requests from the state. And President Bush has delegated his authority to Under Secretary Michael Brown to give immediate firefighting assistance."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinates the disaster relief efforts of 27 federal departments and agencies, including the American Red Cross. Here is a summary of federal activities to date in response to wildland fires in California:

The U. S. Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending personnel and resources, as needed, from its regional management unit, one of the largest firefighting forces in the nation. The strike teams and their caches are mobilized through the Southern California Geographic Coordination Center, an entity responsible for interagency coordination.
Using Norton Air Force Base, the Department of Defense, is providing a staging area for transporting needed personnel, as well as providing air support, equipment and other resources.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is also supporting state and county firefighting efforts with personnel and other resources.

FEMA has approved Fire Management Assistance Grants for the seven major fires summarized below:

Fire	County	Date of Grant
Pass	Riverside County	Tuesday, October 21
Grand Prix	San Bernardino	Thursday, October 23
Verdale	Los Angeles and Ventura	Saturday, October 25
Old	San Bernardino	Saturday, October 25
Paradise	San Diego	Sunday, October 26
Cedar	San Diego	Sunday, October 26
Simi	Ventura	Sunday, October 26

Federal Fire Management Assistance Grants are provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and made available to affected states by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. The assistance pays up to 75 percent of a state's eligible firefighting and emergency response costs for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. Eligible state firefighting costs can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.

Federal firefighting assistance was previously authorized for seven other fires this year in California:
- Four fires in Riverside County (Bridge fire on September 6, Locust fire on August 19, Canyon fire on July 25, and Railroad fire on July 3)
- Two fires in Kern County (Tejon fire on June 29 and Sawmill fire on June 28)
- One fire in Los Angeles County (Pacific fire on January 7)
In addition, the Department of Homeland Security, through FEMA, has provided almost $14 million in 114 Assistance to Firefighters Grants this year to California fire departments to increase the effectiveness of firefighting operations, purchase new fire equipment, and develop new emergency medical service programs, fire prevention and safety programs and firefighter health and safety programs. This year's grants are in addition to the nearly $25 million the Bush Administration has provided directly to California fire departments through this grant program since 2001.

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: Friday, 31-Oct-2003 15:28:28