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County Fire says SAFER grant added staff, allowing four-person engine in 29 Palms; funding lasts three years
Summary
Assistant Chief Bill Verino told the Twentynine Palms council Station 44 gained a fourth firefighter through a FEMA SAFER grant that added 21 positions countywide, but cautioned the grant is 75% funded and expires after three years, requiring local funding thereafter.
Assistant Chief Bill Verino of San Bernardino County Fire briefed the Twentynine Palms City Council on station operations, community programs and a recent federal SAFER grant award. Verino said Station 44 had been staffed with three personnel and the SAFER funds allowed the county to add positions and make Station 44 a four-person engine, improving firefighter and civilian safety and enabling compliance with NFPA and OSHA expectations about on-scene staffing.
Verino described community outreach such as school programs, an explorers program and annual events (Easter egg hunt, Fourth of July standby, parade participation) and said the SAFER award provided funding for 21 positions across the county. He cautioned the grant covers roughly 75% of personnel costs and runs three years, after which local fire districts must absorb ongoing salary and benefit costs if they wish to retain added positions.
Verino said the extra firefighter matters for operations and safety: OSHA guidance and department practice require sufficient personnel on scene before conducting interior fire attack, and a four-person engine reduces response delays when neighboring mutual-aid engines are distant. He noted response gaps in the basin can create 8–15 minute delays if additional engines are not immediately available, which the added staffing aims to mitigate.
Council members asked about grant length and base support; Verino said the base and local partners provide mutual-aid support and will respond when available. The presentation concluded with council thanks and recognition of local partnerships that support response capacity.
