TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Napa County Fire Administration
REPORT BY: David Shew, Fire Administrator
SUBJECT: Accept the 2022 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant
RECOMMENDATION
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Accept the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 2022 Building Resilience for Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant. (Fiscal Impact: $50 million; Fire Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
Napa County Fire Administrator is requesting the Board of Supervisors formally accept the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This grant award is for an amount of $37.5 Million, with local matching funds from Napa County in the amount of $12.5 Million. The collective total of $50 Million is targeted for the Napa Community-Wide Comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Program, which is designed for both hazardous fuels reduction and defensible space/ignition resistant construction projects. These projects will span a total of three (3) years, with two (2) potential extensions of twelve (12) months each.
BRIC is designed into two (2) primary phases. Phase 1 will extend through the initial twelve (12) to fourteen (14) months and serve as the Planning Phase. Phase 2 will then include the activities for hazardous fuels reduction and provide reimbursements for homeowners to improve defensible space around their property as well as reduce wildfire ignition risk to structures. These efforts will ultimately create more fire resilient communities around the County and reduce the impacts from future wildfire events.
Throughout both of these phases, documentation and invoices will be submitted, allowing for reimbursements during the life of this grant. Upon completion, a full review and audit of the program will take place, with the anticipation that the full $37.5 Million of federal funds will be reimbursed to the County.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Fire Fund |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
This grant will provide fire prevention planning and prevention activities in the forms of fuels management and structure hardening in order to reduce the impacts of future wildfires. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
This grant is funded for three years, with a possibility of extending the funding for twelve months twice, for a total of two additional years. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Without this grant, the lack of fire prevention work will leave Napa County more vulnerable to future wildfires, resulting in additional structure and property losses, potential loss of lives, and higher recovery costs. |
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Additional Information |
While work has already begun on this grant, July 1, 2024 allows allocated funding resources to continue this work which will then be reimbursed to the County. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.