NCFPD, North County CERT receive grants

The Dec. 10 meeting of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors included the allocation of Neighborhood Reinvestment Program grants to the North County Fire Protection District and the North County Community Emergency Response Team.

The supervisors' 4-0 vote, with Kristin Gaspar absent, allocated $35,486 to the fire district for firefighter workout equipment and $15,613 to North County CERT for training materials and equipment.

Each county supervisor has an annual $2 million discretionary Neighborhood Reinvestment Program budget. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program is intended to provide grants to nonprofit organizations for the furtherance of public purposes at the regional and community levels.

In addition to nonprofit organizations, county supervisors can also fund schools and fire departments, and supervisors can also use money from their budgets to supplement other county funding for specific county projects such as parks, roads and libraries.

Each of the supervisors recommends the allocation of his or her Neighborhood Reinvestment Program funds, although those allocations must be approved by a majority of the board. The grants to the NCFPD and to North County CERT were from the District Five budget of Supervisor Jim Desmond.

In addition to serving Fallbrook, Bonsall and Rainbow, the North County Fire Protection District has automatic aid agreements with the Deer Springs Fire Protection District, the cities of Oceanside and Vista, and the Camp Pendleton fire department. The fire service seeks to optimize the health and wellness of firefighters, and the North County Fire Protection District has implemented a wellness program which includes nutritional guidelines, workout programs, blood tests, physicals and cancer blood screenings.

The fire district currently often borrows workout equipment since the current equipment at NCFPD stations does not allow for a full body workout or for replicating fire ground movements. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program money will be used to purchase functional movement workout equipment which will improve firefighters' ability to suppress fires as well as enable the fire personnel to be as healthy as possible.

"It's vital that our firefighters are in good physical shape when it comes to doing their job," Desmond said. "This equipment will aid firefighters in improving their health and safety."

More than 600 volunteers from Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, and DeLuz comprise the North County Community Emergency Response Team. CERT members are trained in emergency response for disasters including fires, floods and terrorist attacks.

The CERT mission is to be prepared and to aid in the reduction of the loss of life and property through hands-on experience and response. Training and drills are scheduled regularly within the community, and regional and countywide exercises are also part of the training.

The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program allocation will provide training materials and equipment including vehicle and generator batteries, automated call and text verification, "one call" software, training manuals, binders, bottled water and backpacks with helmets, gloves, goggles and vests,

"North County CERT is an excellent organization that provides much-needed support during emergencies," Desmond said. "This is an extremely important group, especially in the unincorporated area."

Desmond's Dec. 10 Neighborhood Reinvestment Program allocations also included $68,419 to the Valley Center Fire Protection District to purchase and install an automatic gas removal system for two Valley Center fire stations and $19,638 to the San Diego Regional Fire and Emergency Services Foundation to purchase a "Jaws of Life" rescue device for the Elfin Forest Volunteer Fire Station.