Renzi Announces Emergency Fire Grant For Northern AZ

Federal Funds Will Specifically Assist Rural Arizona Communities Fight Potato Fire WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Rick Renzi (AZ-1) has announced an emergency fire management assistance grant from the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA for several communities in rural Arizona to help them battle the Potato Fire burning in Coconino and Navajo counties. The Potato Fire has burned more than 5000 acres of private, federal and state lands and currently threatens more than 200 homes near the communities of Chevelon Retreat, Chevelon Acres, and Antelope Valley. Additionally, orders for evacuation were issued for more than 100 residents. "This federal funding will provide a huge boost for the communities working to fight this fire and provide assistance for evacuees," said Congressman Renzi. "This grant allows the State of Arizona to accumulate an emergency expense account that will cover the cost of emergency equipment, supplies, operations centers, firefighter safety items, mobilization costs and other firefighting needs." Congressman Renzi is leading the debate in Congress to build consensus on the federal response to forest fires in Arizona and across the nation and has consistently supported increased federal funding and assistance for firefighting efforts in rural communities. Renzi is working collaboratively with the forest related community in Washington and Arizona to raise awareness and promote the importance of restoration efforts and improve the health of our nation's forests. Congressman Renzi is pushing for cooperation across state and federal agencies and multiple state jurisdictions to improve and enhance forest restoration to prevent the devastating forest fires like the Rodeo-Chediski in northern Arizona and the Los Alamos fire in New Mexico. FEMA's Fire Management Assistant Grant Program allows for the "mitigation, management, and control" of fires burning on publicly or privately owned forest or grasslands and which would constitute a major disaster and will specifically cover costs for equipment and supplies, emergency work (evacuations and sheltering, police barricading and traffic control, arson investigation); State emergency operations center (when used as a Unified Command Center); the pre-positioning of Federal, out-of State, and international resources for up to 21 days; personal comfort and safety items for firefighter health and safety; field camps and meals in lieu of per diem; mobilization and demobilization costs; temporary repair of damage cause by firefighting activities; and mitigation, management, and control of declared fires burning on co-mingled Federal land, when such costs are not reimbursable by another Federal agency.