CALIFORNIA FIRE FOUNDATION
Committed to Recovery After the L.A. Fires
Within two days of the first sparks of the Eaton and Palisades Fires in Southern California, the California Fire Foundation mobilized and brought resources to provide immediate aid to those who lost everything.
The Foundation is now transitioning into long-term relief through the California Fire Foundation Wildfire Disaster Relief & Recovery Grant available to fire departments, firefighter associations, and community-based organizations with projects in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
"It can take a disaster only days, hours, or minutes to leave devastation that will take a community years to come back from. We want to do what we can to ensure firefighters and community organizations have the tools they need to rebuild and recover," said California Fire Foundation Executive Director Angie Carmignani.
Along with relief, recovery, and public education projects, the grant can also be used to fund first responder training, fuels reduction, PPE, or specialized firefighting equipment.
Redondo Beach Firefighters Association, Local 2787, is amongst the first wave of grant recipients and plan to use the funds to address their wildland gear needs. In their application, they shared, "There are only eight sets of wildland gear for 60 of our members. After an operational period on the Palisades Fire, we had to turn over the dirty and contaminated gear with one another causing harmful exposure to contaminants to our members." With this funding, their local will soon be able to meet the needs of their department and safely serve their community when the next call comes.
The Foundation has several funding opportunities outside this new initiative, including the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program. The grant is available statewide to fire departments, firefighter associations, and community-based organizations with awards of up to $25,000.
"When our firefighters get called into disaster, we come in right behind them and go directly into the affected communities to provide immediate relief. Then, we switch to our long-term recovery because we're not a short-game organization. We're here to stay," explained Carmignani.
To apply for funding and learn more about the Foundation's other grant opportunities, visit cafirefoundation.org/grants. For further questions, email cffgrants@cpf.org.