REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the United States Department of Homeland Security for the Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
1. Approve grant application to the United States Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency, for the Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant, in the amount of $15,180,165, for the addition of 21 Firefighter Paramedic positions over a three-year period, commencing on or about September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028, to enhance services in certain areas within the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District.
2. Designate a Deputy Chief as the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Federal Emergency Management Agency Authorized Organization Representative for the United States Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency, Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant.
3. Authorize the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Federal Emergency Management Agency Authorized Organization Representative to electronically submit the grant application identified in Recommendation No. 1.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this grant application will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) is seeking a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in the amount of $15,180,165, for the salary and benefit costs of 21 new Firefighter Paramedic (FFPM) positions over a three-year period, commencing on or about September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028. Should the grant be awarded, and the 21 FFPM positions be added, upon the conclusion of the grant term, SBCFPD will seek alternative revenue sources to sustain these positions. In the event replacement funding is not realized, operations will be assessed. Any incumbents in these SAFER grant-funded positions will be moved to non-SAFER grant funded positions that have become vacant through attrition and the SAFER grant-related positions will be deleted. Alternatively, other vacant positions may be deleted as needed to continue the operations. There are no matching funds required for this grant application.
If awarded, SBCFPD will return to the Board of Directors (Board) to accept the grant and request budget adjustments, if necessary.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Grant Programs Directorate for the United States Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for implementation and administration of the SAFER grants. SAFER grants provide financial assistance to local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities for help in responding to emergencies, assuring communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. SAFER grant funds must be used for new positions and cannot be used to fund existing staff positions.
SBCFPD provides services to residents and visitors within the cities/communities it serves. There is a vast amount of undeveloped federal land within SBCFPD’s service area that comprises much of the area served but does not contribute property taxes. Some of these areas are in places where there are few residents but numerous travelers, such as Interstate 15 that connects Southern California to Las Vegas and Interstate 40, across the Mojave Desert. Award of a SAFER grant would enhance service and deployment capabilities for SBCFPD in areas such as Interstate 15 and Interstate 40, the Phelan area, Havasu Landing, areas in the high desert, and portions of the Cities of San Bernardino and Upland.
SBCFPD is seeking Board approval for the submittal of an application to USDHS for Fiscal Year 2024 SAFER grant funds. The funds would be used by SBCFPD to add 21 new FFPM positions with the purpose of improving staffing levels to attain a more effective level of response and a safer incident scene. More specifically, the 21 positions would be added to enhance 24-hour shifts at seven locations within the aforementioned service areas. SBCFPD’s typical shift schedule for an engine requires three staff, but these locations currently only have two staff per shift. The grant would add three staff total (one per shift) at each of these locations to create additional three person engines. Adding an FFPM position to these two-person squads would upgrade the level of service of these squads from that of a medical only response unit to that of a medical and fire suppression response unit, thus augmenting the current response capabilities and increasing the versatility of service SBCFPD provides to these areas. This includes providing enhanced Advanced Life Support to the people who visit or live in these areas. Adding these new FFPM positions would not result in the need for acquiring additional vehicles since this would be accomplished through the transfer of existing fire engines from reserve status to front-line status.
On April 9, 2024 (Item No. 57), the Board approved SBCFPD to submit the Fiscal Year 2023 SAFER grant application. However, that application was unsuccessful. SBCFPD requested feedback from FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate regarding the evaluation of the applications and has incorporated this feedback into the Fiscal Year 2024 SAFER grant application. If awarded, the SAFER grant would provide funding for 21 positions over the period of the grant. At the end of the grant term, should future grant funding not be awarded, SBCFPD will pursue other revenue sources to sustain these positions. If no replacement funding is realized, any incumbents will be moved to other non-SAFER grant related FFPM positions that have become vacant through attrition and the positions added as part of the SAFER grant award will be deleted.
The Fiscal Year SAFER 2024 grant application period opened on May 23, 2025, and provided a short application deadline of July 3, 2025. Therefore, the authorization provided by Recommendation No. 3 is needed to allow SBCFPD to work within the FEMA’s required timelines for completion and submission of the grant application via the FEMA grants management system, FEMA Grant Outcomes.
Submission of the application is a non-binding process and if this application is successful, SBCFPD will return to the Board for acceptance of the grant, approval of the new positions, and authorization for related budget adjustments.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Rick Luczak, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 30, 2025; Finance (Ivan Ramirez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on June 2, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 2, 2025.