Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District $1,771,818.18 in Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program funding to support their operations and combat wildfire risk. This funding will help the department obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other necessary resources.
“I’ve always worked to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin,” said Senator Cortez Masto, “and this grant funding will give the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District the resources it needs to reduce the risk of wildfires and keep our lake communities safe.”
Senator Cortez Masto has routinely worked to invest in wildfire prevention and support for those affected by fires. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she helped secure over $3.4 billion for wildfire prevention, suppression, and restoration activities, and a provision she authored to provide $10 million for wildfire detection equipment, like Lake Tahoe’s successful ALERTWildfire camera network. Just last year, she introduced the Western Wildfire Support Act, which would allow communities across Nevada and the Western U.S. to invest in training, equipment, and funding to combat wild and rangeland fires. Senator Cortez Masto has hosted regular conversations to help coordinate wildfire response, including a first-of-its kind wildfire summit in 2019 to allow firefighters, ranchers, conservationists, scientists, power companies, and representatives of government agencies to find new ways to coordinate and collaborate.
###