Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that the Santa Paula Fire Department (SPFD) received a two-year grant for $912,976, funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) program.

“Our community includes areas at high-risk for wildfires,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “This grant will ensure that the Santa Paula Fire Department will be able to retain its five firefighters and have the deployment capabilities necessary to respond to emergencies, which will improve protection from fire and fire-related hazards.”

“This grant ensures that the citizens of our community are provided quality service from the fire department and allows us to have a full complement of staff on each engine,” said Santa Paula Fire Chief Rick Araiza. “Without the support of Congresswoman Brownley, we could not have been successful.”

SAFER grants were created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to help increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in local communities.

Earlier this year, Congresswoman Brownley urged FEMA to review the SPFD’s SAFER grant application.

In Congress, Congresswoman Brownley has also been a strong supporter of SAFER grants and other federal programs to aid emergency personnel and first responders.

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