Cathedral City Page 1 of 2 Printed on 4/21/2022
Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 5.E
Meeting Date: April 13, 2022
From: John Muhr, Fire Chief
Title: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribal Grant
RECOMMENDATION:
To approve accepting a tribal donation of $39,000 from Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to purchase CERT Program Supplies, one Autel EVO Drone, and Water Tender equipment.
BACKGROUND:
In early January, the Fire Department was contacted by Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to solicit applications for a donation of $ 30,000. The purpose of the donation would be to fund a project that would otherwise not be approved in the current budget.
On January 24 th 2022, Fire Chief Muhr completed the application and submitted it for review. In early March, Chief Muhr received a le tter from the Tribe approving the donation, which accompanied a check for $39,000.
DISCUSSION:
The Fire Department operates one of the largest Teen CERT Programs in Riverside County with over 100 students trained annually at Cathedral City High School.
Purchasing supplies for this program is vital for its success in training young citizens in Cathedral City to be self-reliant during a disaster.
Additionally, Cathedral City Fire Department currently utilizes its 75 -foot aerial ladder truck to acquire aeria l photos or video on emergency incidents. Purchasing a departmental drone would enable the Incident Commanders to have a real -time perspective of the overall emergency scene while making critical decisions. Drones can be used in search and re scue incidents , fires, hazardous material incidents, and in providing post-incident photos crucial in investigating fires.
The remaining funds in the donation will be used to purchase new appliances for Water Tender 1, which currently has a limited supply , and finish the installation of the USDD G2 Alerting System for the fire administration office.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of this program is fully funded by the grant with no matching funds.
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ATTACHMENTS:
ACBCI 2022 Donation