Dear Cambrians,

I am pleased to announce that on October 8, 2026, the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) Board of Directors approved acceptance of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fiscal Year 2026 Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant, awarding the District up to $458,203.80 to support a Fire Marshal position over a two-year period. The FEMA grant provides up to $458,203.80 toward program costs over two years and requires a local contribution from the District. Because the current budget does not include the required matching funds, a budget adjustment of up to $22,910.20 is needed for the current fiscal year.

This grant represents a significant investment in fire prevention, wildfire preparedness, and public safety for our community. It will provide Cambria Fire with dedicated professional resources to strengthen fire prevention services, improve compliance with fire safety requirements, and expand outreach and education for residents, businesses, and visitors.

Over the 24-month grant period, the position will conduct and coordinate priority WUI parcel inspections, including large and merged lots; perform defensible-space and vegetation-management inspections and required follow-up/re-inspections; oversee weed-abatement compliance; conduct required business and occupancy fire and life-safety inspections; identify and document fire code violations; and work directly with property owners and businesses to achieve corrective action. The position will also strengthen community evacuation preparedness by developing standardized evacuation and fire-safety information for hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and other transient occupancies, while expanding public education on defensible space, home hardening, vegetation management, fire code requirements, and WUI preparedness. Importantly, grant funding will allow the District to establish standardized inspection procedures, compliance tracking, performance measures, educational materials, and reporting systems that do not currently exist at this level. At the conclusion of the grant period, Cambria Fire will retain a structured, repeatable fire-prevention framework that can be incorporated into ongoing Department operations, providing a lasting public-safety benefit beyond the term of the FP&S grant.

The District extends its sincere appreciation to Fire Captain Brooks for his outstanding dedication and efforts in securing this  grant award. This represents the second major grant award Captain Brooks has successfully secured for the District within the past year. In 2025, Captain Brooks secured a $569,973.90 SAFER Grant award, which provided funding for three additional firefighters for a three-year period. Combined, these two grant awards represent more than $1 million in competitive funding—$1,028,177.70 total—secured for the Cambria Fire Department within approximately one year. These grant awards represent a significant accomplishment for the Department and have provided critical resources to strengthen staffing and enhance the District’s capacity to provide essential fire and emergency services.

Sincerely,

Matthew McElhenie 

General Manager