FEMA team meets with Fire & Rescue and Finance teams on Grant Management Monitoring

Recently Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue and the City of Costa Mesa Finance team received a site visit from two members of the Grants Management Team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department was the recipient of the FY 2020-21 Assistance Firefighter Grant. The department applied and met the criteria of this extensive application process, consequently receiving funding for the purchase of new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus.

As part of the grant management process, FEMA sent two representatives from the Grants Management Division for an onsite meeting and grant progress review.

CMFR and City Staff were pleased to welcome Sandra Tripp (Fire Grants Management Specialist) and Connie Casto (Acting Preparedness Program Branch Chief) to the City of Costa Mesa.

After an insightful joint meeting at City Hall, the FEMA partners were provided a tour of the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Regional Training Facility were introduced to City personnel, and highlighted with a hands-on experience with all of the new SCBA’s that the grant provided the department.

“It was a pleasure and a valued opportunity to meet with our FEMA Region 9 grant management partners (Ms. Tripp and Ms. Casto) and discuss the progress and monitoring of our successful AFG grant management,” said Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano. “Our city team did an exceptional job collaborating for the onsite visit, inclusive of Finance Director Carol Molina and her entire team (Anna Baca, Cathleen Serrano and Jeannie Fortune), combined with the impressive work and leadership of CMFR Division Chief Jason Pyle and CMFR Senior Management Analyst/CMFR’s Grant Programs Lead Kristin Stevens. We appreciate our strong partnership with FEMA and we will continue our active efforts in seeking out future grant funding opportunities.”