Fire Department for Money Strapped City Gets Grant

A grant recently awarded to Loma Linda’s Fire Department will help purchase much needed equipment that the cash-strapped city may not be able to supply.

EPIC, a California-based retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage firm, partnered with the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company to award the department the $28,087 grant.

The money is earmarked for equipment that firefighters can use for emergency response and public education and outreach.

They include:

• Protective, fire-resistant clothing worn by firefighters known as turnout gear. The grant funds six sets of jackets and pants.
• A self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, a combination mask and air tank used by firefighters to breathe in smoky or toxic environments.
• A Sparky firedog suit. Sparky the dog is the official spokesperson for the National Fire Protection Association. The suit will be used for children’s fire safety education.

“The firefighters and, by extension, the Loma Linda community will be far safer with the equipment provided by this grant,” said Tony D’Asaro, a spokesperson for EPIC. “We’re proud to support them in such a meaningful way.”

Like many cities across the state, Loma Linda is financially coping with the loss of its redevelopment agency. On Feb. 1, the state took possession of the $7.5 million the city had tied up in the RDA, said Konrad Bolowich, Loma Linda’s director of community development.

Among the programs and services once funded by redevelopment were the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce, the senior center, the watering and maintenance of the community gardens, employee salaries and the watering of citrus trees, Bolowich said.

Some of those programs and services will be cut, Bolowich said.