Panetta Announces Federal Grant for Castroville’s North County Fire Protection District

WASHINGTON –Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), announced that Castroville's North County Fire Protection District has been awarded a federal grant totaling $284,864 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.

"Firefighters and first-responders in Monterey County work hard every day to protect our families, so we need to provide them with the best resources available," said Congressman Panetta. "This Assistance to Firefighters Grant will enhance North County Fire Protection District's capabilities to more effectively protect the health and safety of our communities. I congratulate Chief Orman and his entire team on receiving this grant."

"Grants like these are crucial to our ability to provide for the safety of our community," said Chief Chris Orman. "On behalf of the Fire District and the entirety of North County we'd like to thank Congressman Panetta for his support in bringing tax dollars back to this community to make it a safer, better place to live."

"We are extremely grateful for this grant as it will allow us to stay up-to-date with our self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)," continued Chief Orman. "These units are similar to what scuba divers use to breathe underwater except ours are built to withstand extreme heat and smoke. The North County Fire District protects 42,000 residents spread out over 125 square miles. We are host to thousands of agricultural workers and commuters along with the thousands of tourists traveling through to the Peninsula. If North County were a city, we'd be the 2nd largest city in Monterey County, yet we work with a fraction of the budget. The unincorporated and rural areas of Monterey County are continuously challenged to keep up with legal requirements and standards.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an important component of the larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards. Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, the AFG Program has provided approximately $6.7 billion in grants to first-responder organizations to obtain much needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training.

The purpose of the AFG Program is to award grants directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations, and state fire training academies to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel. Using a competitive process that is overseen by fire service subject matter experts, grants are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the AFG Program.