Captain Robin Conners was relieved and grateful that the Wheeler Crest Fire Protection District in Mono County was selected to receive a $14,975 grant for its all-volunteer fire department, saying the funding is essential to purchase personal protective equipment and other items.

“The partnership with California Fire Foundation and Edison International is important. These grants allow us to keep our firefighters and communities safe when fires break out,” Conners said. “We will purchase fire protective clothing, goggles and headlamps. This type of gear makes a huge difference during an active fire season.”

Wheeler Crest Fire Protection was among 15 organizations and local fire departments selected to receive a fire-prevention grant through the California Fire Foundation and Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison. The grantees received a total of $200,000 in philanthropic funds this year. California Fire Foundation is one of Edison International's top recipients, receiving more than $1.4 million since 2015.

The key focus areas of the grants are public safety and emergency preparedness, two Edison International priorities. The organizations and local fire departments chosen will continue supporting communities in fire-prone regions of SCE's service area. Troy Whitman, SCE senior fire manager, says the funding is critically important because fire season is now year-round.

"The grants will help local fire departments and these organizations continue fire prevention community outreach campaigns, purchase firefighting equipment and continue vegetation mitigation in high fire risk areas," Whitman said. "It's critically important that they have this type of financial support to help keep communities safe, especially during peak fire season.”

When David Barrett learned that MySafe:LA was selected to receive a $13,500 grant he said he felt honored and excited to know that the funds will continue to help raise awareness about fire safety and disaster preparedness.

"During the past six years, we've reached more than 300,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students and installed more than 44,000 smoke alarms, which have saved dozens of lives," said Barrett, executive director and commander of MySafe:LA. "We provide specific community-driven wildfire training and prepare communities for wildfire survival. Wildfire-related prevention funding is extremely challenging to find so this grant plays a critical role in executing our training and resilience mission.”

For those interested in applying for a fire prevention grant for the 2023 fire season, visit California Fire Foundation or Edison International's Eligibility Tool for more information.

For more information on SCE's wildfire safety efforts, visit edison.com/wildfire-safety.