Board gets grant for disaster preparedness: Each city and town in the county will get a portion of the funds

By Ryan Orr
Daily Press

SAN BERNARDINO — The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors this week accepted a $276,000 grant that will be used to support disaster preparedness, response and recovery capabilities in the county.

The purpose of the grant, which was awarded by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, is to provide support to county emergency operations agencies in an effort to facilitate better emergency coordination between local and state resources.

"We have the best mutual aid program in the country," said Brad Mitzelfelt, San Bernardino County 1st District supervisor. "We saw that during the fires."

The grant money will help further improve that cooperation and encourage the improvement of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery capabilities for all hazards, whether natural or man-made.

"This funding will allow the county, and cities in the county, to better prepare plans, train volunteers and improve facilities and equipment," Mitzelfelt added.

The 24 cities and towns in the county will each receive a portion of the funds.

San Bernardino County has identified five priorities for which the grant funding could be used. They include continuing the development of the citizen emergency response teams and the telephone emergency notification system, and enhancing emergency operations facilities.

Copyright 2008 Daily Press