Fire protection: Special District Fire Response Fund: Office of Emergency Services.

Existing law creates within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services. Existing law tasks the Office of Emergency Services with, among other things, establishing and leading the Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center, jointly with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to collect, assess, and analyze fire weather data, atmospheric conditions, and other threat indicators of wildfire danger, and to develop and share intelligence products related to fire weather and fire threat conditions. Existing law also tasks the Office of Emergency Services with establishing and administering the FIRESCOPE Program (FIrefighting RESources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies) , to maintain and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of managing multiagency firefighting resources in responding to an incident. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to carry out its responsibilities with respect to the FIRESCOPE Program in cooperation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and with the advice of the Fire and Rescue Service Advisory Committee/FIRESCOPE Board of Directors. Section 2.2 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution establishes the Special District Fire Response Fund as a subaccount within the California Fire Response Fund within the State Treasury. Existing law requires moneys in the Special District Fire Response Fund to be appropriated by the Legislature for the purpose of funding fire suppression staffing in underfunded special districts that provide fire protection services, as provided. This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to administer the Special District Fire Response Fund and, in cooperation with the board of directors of the FIRESCOPE Program, to develop a standard grant application form, establish an annual timeline to apply for grants, employ strategies to ensure that underfunded special district that provide fire protection services are aware of the availability of the Special District Fire Response Fund, establish reporting requirements for grant recipients, and develop metrics for consideration of grant applications, as specified.