ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: December 17, 2025 AGENDA CATEGORY: Consent - Miscellaneous TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Kevin Albertson, Fire Chief
DATE: December 3, 2025
SUBJECT: Appropriate $542,223.07 in federal grant funds from the USDA Forest Service and the USDI Bureau of Land Management and $1,145,378.50 in state grant funds from the California Office of Emergency Services to the Fire Department operating budget within the General Fund for reimbursement of personnel and equipment costs on statewide master mutual aid assignments.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the appropriation.
BACKGROUND:
The Bakersfield Fire Department participated in numerous Strike Team deployments (statewide master mutual aid) to significant emergency events during the 2024-2025 and 2025 -2026 fire season. Federal reimbursements include $542,223.07 from the US Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management, and State reimbursements of $ 1,145,378.50 from California Office of Emergency Services. The total reimbursement amount to the City is $1,687,601.57.
When firefighters are working on mutual aid assignments, the City is reimbursed for labor costs at the overtime rate for the entire deployment and equipment costs are reimbursed on an hourly basis. The Fire Department’s operating budget has already incurred these costs by paying the overtime and equipment costs. This reimbursement is needed to appropriate these funds back into the Fire Department’s budget.
FISCAL IMPACT:
All funds are reimbursed by federal and state funding sources , therefore no fiscal impact to the City General Fund.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Innovative and Efficient City Government
ATTACHMENTS:
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