Tuolumne County Receives $9-million Federal Fire Grant

Photo taken by: Tuolumne County Fire Dept.

Sonora, CA — A major grant is coming to Tuolumne County to boost its fire services.

CAO Tracie Riggs reports that FEMA has awarded a five-year SAFER grant that will total $9 million. The grant request was submitted by former (recently retired) Assistant Fire Chief Andy Murphy on behalf of Tuolumne County Fire. It will fully fund the Groveland Fire Station and allow for more staffing at other locations.

In response to the grant award, Riggs says in a statement, “I cannot put into words how excited I am and what this means for our community. I am extremely proud of our fire staff for putting together such a well-written grant application.”

Riggs had also reached out to Congressman Tom McClintock’s Office seeking assistance in relation to the grant, and it, in turn, made inquiries on behalf of the county.

The grant application submitted to FEMA notes that Tuolumne County engines staffed daily will be able to improve from two per day to four per day, and firefighters on staffed engines, daily, will go from four to 10.

Firefighting operational positions will be able to increase from 17 to 36. It should lead to less fatigue, better safety for personnel, and quicker response times.