Fire prevention grants: cities in very high fire hazard severity zones: emergency fire siren warning system.

Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to implement and administer various programs designed to improve forests and grasslands and prevent and suppress fires in state responsibility areas, as defined. Existing law requires the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to classify lands within state responsibility areas, as defined, into fire hazard severity zones and to identify areas in the state as very high fire hazard severity zones, as provided, and requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving certain recommendations from the director. This bill would require the department, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, to establish a grant program to provide grants to applicant cities located in areas designated as very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified, to be used for the installation and implementation or the refurbishment of an emergency fire siren warning system, which could include a voice warning system, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to establish a cost-share requirement for the grant program and the director to make advance payments of up to 25% of the total grant award. The bill would require the department to prioritize grant applications from cities on the "Fire Risk Reduction Community" list, when that list is developed. The bill would authorize the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to expend the sum of $10,000,000 for grants provided pursuant to the grant program.