REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 17, 2019
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title v
Grant Award from the California Fire Safe Council to Develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans for City of San Bernardino and Community of Devore
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD):
1. Approve Subaward Contract (Award No. 16 BLM 143980) with the California Fire Safe Council to accept a $30,000 grant for development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans for the City of San Bernardino and the Community of Devore, with a grant period of October 1, 2019 through October 31, 2020.
2. Authorize the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, SBCFPD Fire Chief/Fire Warden or SBCFPD Deputy Fire Chief to execute and submit all necessary grant related documents, including any non-substantive amendments to the Subaward Contract subject to review by County Counsel, and proceed with actions necessary to achieve the performance objectives and reporting requirements of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan Program.
3. Direct the officials listed in Recommendation No. 2 to transmit all non-substantive amendments to the Subaward Contract to the Secretary of the Board of Directors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not require the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The grant award of $30,000 and the required 25% local match of $7,500 will be used to fund costs of the subject Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Appropriation and revenue adjustments for this grant are included in the 2019-20 First Quarter Budget Report for approval by the Board of Directors (Board). The local match requirement will be funded with funds available in SBCFPD’s 2019-20 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The County of San Bernardino currently does not have a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for the City of San Bernardino (San Bernardino) and the Community of Devore (Devore). These areas are presented with a high fire risk, as there are heavily populated forests with up to 100 years of uncontrolled vegetation growth within close proximity. Dry fuels created by drought conditions have produced severe fire conditions where lives and millions of dollars in homes and property are at risk of devastating fires with the potential of being fueled by strong Santa Ana wind events. These areas have had several catastrophic wildfires, including the recent Little Mountain Fire in September 2019 and the Hillside Fire in October 2019, resulting in several homes/buildings and hundreds of acres of wildland being destroyed.
Essentially, a CWPP is needed to address the areas at risk for San Bernardino and Devore. The process of developing a CWPP will help to identify and clarify priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure in these areas. In addition, communities with a CWPP are given priority for certain funds to assist with hazardous fuel reduction projects.
Approval by the Board is required to accept grant funds in accordance with County Policy No. 05-13. The grant funds will assist SBCFPD in developing a CWPP for San Bernardino and Devore that addresses the following:
• Creating defensible space.
• Reducing the risk of rapid fire spread through mitigation practices.
• Maintaining the goals of the healthy forest initiative in order to save lives, protect property, reduce the risk of wildfire damage, and decrease firefighting costs.
Although the grant performance period is effective October 1, 2019, no costs regarding development of the CWPP’s have been incurred to date. SBCFPD received notification of the grant award on November 7, 2019. This item is now presented for Board approval as the first available meeting following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 20, 2019; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on November 26, 2019; and County Finance and Administration (Katrina Turturro, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 2, 2019.