On Nov. 1, the same day that they announced the close of the 2004 fire season, three San Luis Obispo County fire departments recently announced that they’d received about $800,000 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
All three plan on using the money for various types of equipment.
CDF/County Fire, which received about $416,000, will buy 450 sets of protective firefighting clothes and fire shelters, 50 practice fire shelters, 14 vehicle exhaust systems, and 19 washing machines.
Atascadero’s fire department will spend its $264,000 check on communications equipment while the Grover Beach Fire Department, which got $147,000, will buy 21 new breathing apparatuses, air packs, masks, and air tanks.
Now that the fire season is over, burning is now allowed in designated areas. However, CDF/County Fire officials want to remind people to contact their local fire department or the Air Pollution Control District for burning guidelines.
This article appears in Nov 4-11, 2004.