Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced  $355,148 in federal funding for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD). The funding, which will be used to provide hazardous materials training for San Bernardino County firefighters, comes from the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Fire Prevention Operations and Safety Program.

“California is facing an exceptionally challenging fire season, and we need to do all we can to make sure that our local firefighters have every resource they need,” said Rep. Aguilar. He continued, “Earlier this year I hosted a workshop to connect local fire departments with critical federal resources because we need to make sure they’re equipped to handle any emergency. San Bernardino County firefighters have demonstrated their heroism time and time again, and I’m proud to announce these funds that will provide training to help keep them safe and help keep our community safe.”

“The men and women of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District are extremely grateful to Congressman Aguilar and FEMA for their support of San Bernardino County by awarding our agency the grant,” stated Fire Chief Mark Hartwig. “This grant will help us continue to protect our citizens by providing additional hazardous materials training to our team. Funding will allow the Fire Protection District to bolster our Hazmat capabilities by over 40% daily. Additionally, in conjunction with the California State Office of Emergency Services, the Fire Protection District will also be able to assist on any type of Hazmat response throughout the State of California. This is great news for the residents of San Bernardino County and the great state of California.”

As part of his efforts to bring federal resources into the Inland Empire, Rep. Aguilar held a grant training workshop for local fire departments earlier this year. The workshop, which was attended by representatives from SBCFPD, focused on best practices for FEMA grant applications, including the AFG Program that funded this award. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Aguilar has been a consistent advocate for the AFG Program and successfully fought for a funding increase in Fiscal Year 2018.