OC Fire Authority set to accept search-and-rescue funds

The Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors is expected Thursday to accept more than $1.8 million in federal funding for California Task Force 5, an Orange County-based urban search-and-rescue team, Voice of OC reported.

The funding comes as California officials prepare for possible El Niño-related storms, high surf and emergency response needs across the region, including mutual aid for Dana Point and San Clemente.

Voice of OC reported that the money comes from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and supports administration, training, equipment, storage and maintenance for FEMA urban search-and-rescue teams.

California Task Force 5 is sponsored by the Orange County Fire Authority and based in Orange County. The 70-person team includes firefighters from the OC Fire Authority, Anaheim Fire Department and Orange Fire Department, according to Voice of OC.

A staff report cited by Voice of OC said, "CA-TF5 has used past Cooperative Agreement funds and activation reimbursements to equip and train the task force members for various missions including but not limited to rescuing victims in collapsed structures, responding to natural disasters, and responding to attacks from weapons of mass destruction/ terrorist attacks,"

California Task Force 5 Program Manager Mike Yeun told Voice of OC that the federal grant process is predictable because $56 million is divided among FEMA’s 28 urban search-and-rescue task forces. "There’s really no lobbying or anything because we know we’re gonna get the sum of however much divided by 28. This kind of makes it easier for us. We know what to expect and we know what the budget is gonna be," Yeun said.

The task force is one of eight FEMA teams in California and can respond to collapsed buildings, floods and other disasters, Voice of OC reported. The team also helped during Hurricane Helene in 2024, which killed 250 people, according to the article.

Yeun said the team is preparing for rainy-season operations as officials monitor potential El Niño impacts. "It’s no different than every other rainy season because you never know what’s gonna get impacted. We’re already gearing up our rainy season [operations]. So water rescues, we’re dusting off the cobwebs and doing our training," Yeun said.

Voice of OC reported that coastal preparations also include Seal Beach officials planning a 14-foot sand berm as the state responds to strengthening Super El Niño conditions.