more articles like this

Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District Receive Grant
updated: Oct 11, 2011, 3:53 PM

Source: Lois Capps' Office

Today Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-23) announced that the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District has been awarded a $96,481 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters program. The funding will be used to better ensure firefighter safety by providing resources to purchase new protective clothing, specifically wild land firefighting gear and fluid barriers for treating victims of traumatic injury.

"Our firefighters face a range of unique and dangerous firefighting challenges on a daily basis. They put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe, making it critically important that they are outfitted with the best equipment, and I'm pleased this federal funding will help make that happen. As cuts at the state and local level make it increasingly difficult to maintain services and equipment, this federal support could not have come at a better time for the Carpinteria-Summerland fire fighters," said Capps.

"While all public safety agencies are struggling to maintain the ability to serve, this federally funded grant helps us to meet those service demands without sacrificing responder safety," said Chief Mike Mingee, Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District Chief.

The Fire Safety and Prevention program funds local projects across the country to improve public safety. Additional background on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and Fire Safety and Prevention Program is available here.

###

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 221790	2011-10-11 04:53 PM
She is not a 99%'r
COMMENT 221810	2011-10-11 06:38 PM
More federal welfare-great, that's all we need.
COMMENT 221813	2011-10-11 06:52 PM
@810 Yes, I do think it's great that our local fire services will have more equipment that will help them better fight potential wildfires, especially in our back country and especially given the direction our climate is going.
COMMENT 221834	2011-10-11 08:06 PM
SY - So she shows up - reads from piece of paper that her assistant wrote - and gives more money we don't have - you like this - what is the rational behind your thoughts? Lets see - cali has business's baling - tax's and spending are a large pile ....and your OK with a grant from the clouds?????
AQUAHOLIC	2011-10-11 08:12 PM
I would much rather see Federal Grant $$ spent on small Local Fire agencies than on bombs, bullets, boondoggery and bail-outs.
COMMENT 221858P	2011-10-11 09:04 PM
Give tax cuts to the rich, but no equipment to fire fighters.
COMMENT 221859	2011-10-11 09:08 PM
@790 I guess I don't really understand your complaint. I wouldn't care if it was Lois Capps, Das Williams or the reconstituted corpse of Benjamin Franklin; I have no problem with this kind of spending. On the other hand, I really don't feel like getting into a von Mises/Austrian school vs. Keynesian economics argument on Edhat, and that's the only real logical place for this discussion to go. Suffice to say I simply don't have a problem with deficit spending, but I DO have a problem with severe austerity measures which put enormous amounts of pressure on basic and necessary services.
COMMENT 221895	2011-10-12 07:51 AM
"Our firefighters face a range of unique and dangerous firefighting challenges on a daily basis." Said Capps. What planet is she on?? Firefighters in this area chase the ambulance more than anything else. Where is the funding to the private ambulance company that responds to 4x's the calls than they do? Seems to me this is just another payback to unions. How many calls to "FIRES" does Carp/Summerland respond to in a year?? Maybe Chief Mengee can post that number on this thread so all can see exactly the waste of money the tax-payers spend on the fire service each and every year. There is more spent on OT than anything else. Wake up people you have been played for AGAIN!! Do a little research you might learn something....
COMMENT 221906	2011-10-12 08:16 AM
895.....Sounds like someone tested and didn't get hired......? Or maybe just a burnt out AMR medic. Nice.
COMMENT 221946	2011-10-12 09:35 AM
It is time to get rid of Lois Capps - she does nothing and knows nothing. She is part of the incumbent problem. I saw throw out all incumbents in congress - Dem and Repub. I"m a registered Democrat and am voting for Abel Maldonado. Capps major accomplishment is photo opps when she hands a check to the chancellor at UCSB - who can put it in one of his slush funds to maneuver around at will - the lack of accountability at UCSB is astonishing. Wikileaks needs to lead all the salaries of the overpaid hacks in the administration at UCSB - all making $150,000 plus. Your tax dollars at work - and student tuituion fees at work.
COMMENT 221975	2011-10-12 10:39 AM
906, Nice try. Never tested and not an AMR Medic, which of course, I would prefer working on me if I had the opportunity too. I prefer only getting stuck once with a needle. Thank-you very much. Here are some numbers from County Fire the Biggest Fire agency in Santa Barbara county. In 2010 (Chief Dyers numbers not mine) Co. Fire ran 11,500 calls for service. That equates to 31.5 calls a day OR 1.9 calls a day per station. 16 stations in all. Over worked right 906?? Or should I say Fire 906??
COMMENT 222023P	2011-10-12 12:04 PM
Ahhh, Lois Capps is once again buying votes by throwing money at the firefighters. How about we use that money to hire a 3rd party private company that looks into efficiency opportunities within the Department? Throw a couple of bucks at them to get them by until next year is great but cutting out the fat, consolidating services, implementing a robust volunteer program will provide them with long term financial stability. There are thousands of volunteer or partial volunteer departments throughout the US, in cities and towns larger than Carp that do a fantastic job at providing services for very little cost. California has been crippled by firefighter union SIG’s and empire building chiefs, both of whom preach death and damnation to any who dare to cut their services or suggest they become more efficient.
COMMENT 222078	2011-10-12 02:56 PM
#023p I could not have said it better. It is about the unions and their votes.
COMMENT 222117	2011-10-12 05:12 PM
906 have you done your homework yet?? Or, are you hoping this tread goes away quick before the public starts to do their own research and figures out they have been duped by fire depts across the country. Hey 906, can you tell us all how you can trade shifts and give each other overtime and then get paid back from the guy you gave 24 hours of OT too?? Or, how about the union controlled OT that is scheduled? Can you tell us all how a union controls OT?? I bet I hear cricketsssssssssss.............. 023P, right on great post. 906 can not defend the undefendable....
COMMENT 222169	2011-10-13 07:11 AM
906, Do we need to callout Search & Rescue for you. You seem to be missing in action...... Please respond with answers to our questions. The tax-payers deserve to know how they have been duped for so long. I for one would like to know how a Firefighter (Entry Level) can make $150K a year or a Battalion Chief make $200K a year. Please Please tell us how it works, I'm begging you!!!!!
COMMENT 222341	2011-10-13 01:34 PM
Wow, very informative. Thanks everyone. I guess this explains the Noozhawk article posted on Edhat in October. Unexpected overtime that cost the Santa Barbara Fire Department $850,000 this year likely will be under scrutiny Monday as department officials make their budget presentation to the City Council. The spike in expenses for the Fire Department is the result of constant staffing requirements — at three people for each of SBFD’s eight stations — combined with high injury and retirement rates. the bulk of the Fire Department’s expenses is in salaries and benefits, which total $18.8 million of the proposed $21.36 million budget. Fewer hourly employee hours — from overtime costs — are proposed. Yes, the taxpayers deserve to know!
COMMENT 222469	2011-10-13 05:40 PM
Bravo, guys and gals........#023p I could not have said it better. It is about the unions and their votes. Says it all, and concisely. I have never understood this utter, bewildering, fascination with the fire and police dept's. They are just people hired to do a job. They are well paid, but it never seems to be enough. They have this public funded machine that keeps the PR going. Way too many resources are directed to these almighty "public safety" dept. It should be privatized.
COMMENT 222747	2011-10-14 03:36 PM
#895 This thread will go away but I am doing my homework and there will be another one with lots of very interesting information. Doing my research. I guarantee it. Thanks to everyone.

17% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

*** One comment was removed from this thread by the Edhat Board Nanny for violating Edhat Comments Board policy. Click Here to see it.