Two local fire districts will be better equipped to respond to water-related emergencies along the Yuba River with the help of funding from Yuba Water Agency.
As part of the Bill Shaw Rescue Equipment and Training Grant Program, Yuba Water today approved two grants, worth up to $10,000 each, for Linda Fire Protection District and Olivehurst Fire Department, to help them purchase new swift-water rescue equipment. Much of the districts’ current rescue equipment is outdated and in need of replacement.
“These fire departments provide critical rescue and emergency services for Yuba County residents and people recreating along the Yuba River,” said Yuba Water Agency Board Director Andy Vasquez. “Now they will be even better equipped to respond to dangerous, swift-water situations.”
Linda Fire Protection District will purchase technical rescue equipment, ropes and associated hardware.
The Olivehurst Fire Department will use the grant to replace outdated ropes and purchase additional swift water rescue gear.
Like all Bill Shaw grants, the agency is able to make these funds available because the first-responders may be called upon to provide emergency support to the agency’s facilities and staff, or to people recreating at its lakes or on the Yuba River.
Yuba Water Agency’s Bill Shaw Rescue Equipment and Training Grant Program, which was created in 2018, is designed for first-responder agencies in Yuba County and will cover the one-time costs of up to $10,000 per applicant annually, associated with the purchase of rescue equipment and specialized personnel training. Since its inception, the program has supported 14 agencies with $158,500 in grants.