Task Force Recommends Funding for Local Fire Equipment

by Joe Naiman

The Julian-Cuyamaca, Intermountain and San Pasqual fire departments could be in line for a much-needed financial boost, after recent recommendations from a San Diego County advisory panel.

The Task Force on Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services included the three departments on a list it recommended Feb. 18 to receive a portion of $400,000 available from the county. The money is earmarked for fire-protection facilities and equipment.

The task force recommended $13,469 to the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District to purchase new fire shelters and mapping; $15,809 to the Intermountain Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a replacement fire hose; $30,000 to the San Pasqual Volunteer Fire Department to help purchase a Type 3 fire engine; and $13,486 to the San Pasqual Volunteer Fire Department to purchase structural turnouts for its firefighters.

The county has committed $200,000 in Community Development Block Grants each year for fire-service needs and an additional $200,000, derived from the savings of refinancing the county’s Otay prison, into a trust fund for fire agencies. Although the block-grant funds are restricted to eligible neighborhoods, the trust-fund awards have no such restriction.

Applications for the funding are reviewed by volunteers from the task force, who make recommendations for the entire task force to approve. The panel’s recommendations then go to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for approval.

“It’s a great process that’s been established, and I appreciate the teamwork,” said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who chairs the task force.

The money recommended for the Julian-Cuyamaca, Intermountain and San Pasqual fire departments would come from the trust fund.

The fire shelters for the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District will provide more safety equipment for firefighters battling wildland fires, and the mapping project would be performed in conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to provide global positioning system mapping for homes, businesses and special hazards.

The fire-hose replacement for the Intermountain department will assist in wildland and structural firefighting for the department, whose 100-square-mile area covers the Highway 79 corridor from Santa Ysabel to Lake Henshaw.

The San Pasqual Volunteer Fire Department already has saved $117,000 toward the purchase of a new wildland interface fire engine, and the structural turnouts will allow volunteer firefighters to serve the community’s growth.

County supervisors are expected to consider the recommendations at a March meeting.