Project Grant EMW2025CA05000

The County of Los Angeles Fire Department received a $1.488 million Project Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System program (CFDA 97.025) on September 1, 2025, with completion scheduled for August 31, 2028. This three-year award funds management, specialized training, equipment procurement, vehicle maintenance, and operational readiness activities for the Fire Department's urban search and rescue task force, which operates as one of 28 nationally designated US&R Response System task forces. The funding supports the department's capacity to conduct search-and-rescue operations across 19 states in response to Presidentially declared major disasters and emergencies, including earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, aircraft accidents, hazardous materials spills, and structural collapses.

The grant enables the Los Angeles Fire Department to maintain its critical emergency response infrastructure and specialized rescue capabilities. As the fourth busiest fire department in the nation responding to approximately 380,000 calls for service annually, the department utilizes US&R program funding to sustain around-the-clock operational readiness and support state and local emergency responders in locating survivors and managing recovery operations in the immediate aftermath of major incidents.