Rancho Santa Fe Fire District receives $25,000 grant from SD Regional Fire Foundation

The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District (RSFFPD) recently announced a $25,000 grant from the San Diego Regional Fire Foundation (Fire Foundation) that will be used to purchase firefighter personal protection equipment (PPE) for the district’s volunteer firefighters following the recent merger of RSFFPD and Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department. The Fire Foundation presented the grant check to RSFFPD at the district’s annual Pancake Breakfast Oct. 9.

“We appreciate the Fire Foundation and their generosity,” said Deputy Chief Fred Cox. “This grant will help us provide our firefighters the necessary tools to protect their lives and survivability during emergencies. It also gives them the best equipment available to decrease exposure to toxic byproducts of combustion and carcinogenic materials. By safeguarding our firefighters from the many hazards associated with our job, we are able to more efficiently serve the public’s needs.”

Added Division Chief Frank Twohy, “Elfin Forest Fire/Harmony Grove Fire Department is proud to be a part of the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District. We appreciate the district’s ongoing efforts to keep our personnel and communities safe and are grateful to the Fire Foundation for helping us achieve those goals.”

This grant is part of the Fire Foundation’s annual grant program that supports fire departments throughout San Diego County. A total of $143,060 will be distributed this year. Including special grants made earlier in the year, the Fire Foundation has awarded more than $280,000 in 2016 and more than $5 million since the Foundation’s formation in 1989 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

The San Diego Regional Fire Foundation’s mission is to improve the system of fire and emergency services in San Diego County. “We accomplish our mission by funding equipment and training for firefighters at individual stations such as the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District, and by providing equipment on a county-wide basis, such as automatic vehicle locators (AVL), automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and mass casualty kits, primarily for rural fire departments,” said Fire Foundation Chairman Frank Ault. “Currently, the Foundation is raising $200,000 to rebuild the driveway for the Borrego Springs Fire Protection District’s station, which will help to increase response times and to reduce the maintenance costs for their fire engines and ambulances.”

- Submitted press release