Southeast Inyo County to get new fire stations
Federal appropriations to be used to build stations
Public safety just got a major boost in some of Inyo County’s most remote communities.
The county recently received news that it will be receiving $1.5 million to build at least two new fire stations for the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD) in Tecopa Hot Springs and Charleston View. SIFPD serves a 1,200 square-mile area of sparsely populated but heavily visited desert at the edge of Death
Valley National Park and has never had a formal station from which to operate.
The funding for the project was requested by Inyo County as a Community Project Funding appropriation and eventually included in the FY24 Agriculture and Rural Development bill, signed into law by President Biden on March 9.
Inyo’s request was supported, sponsored, and forwarded to the Appropriations Committee by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and Sen. Alex
Padilla (D-CA). Rep. Kiley and Sens. Padilla and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) all supported final passage of the appropriations bill.
“I am proud to have secured federal funding to support the construction of two fire stations that will be essential for emergency response in Inyo County and the broader region,” said Senator Padilla. “This is an investment that will save lives. I look forward to continuing to work to bring additional resources to improve public safety and the quality of life across Inyo County.”
District 5 Supervisor and Board Chair Matt Kingsley expressed his gratitude for the help in securing the much-needed funding.
“We cannot thank our federal representatives – including the late Dianne Feinstein – enough for their support of this funding request and their help in getting it approved,” Chairperson Kingsley said. “The SIFPD provides critical life-saving services over a large, remote area and can use all the help it can get to improve and fortify its response capabilities. It is heartening to see our Congressman and senators recognize the district’s vital role in providing for public safety
and the need to give them the resources they need to do so.”
The appropriation will fund the construction of two separate fire stations that would house fire and emergency response apparatus, provide office space for staff, and serve as a space to convene meetings for the purposes of emergency operations planning and response efforts.
The funding includes the monies necessary for site preparation, extension of utilities, and construction of a new structure in the communities of Tecopa Hot Springs and Charleston View, which are located approximately 30 miles apart from one another.
There are currently no structures in either location to house fire fighting apparatus, leaving them susceptible to impacts from the elements, vandalism, and burglary.
While both of these communities are sparsely populated, several thousand visitors pass through them each year. It is impossible for the volunteers to provide an adequate level of response or service without proper equipment, or the space to maintain it.
“We are very excited and extremely thankful for the opportunity to see this project through to its completion. This will allow us to fully serve our communities and drastically reduce our response times to fall within NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards for the majority of our 911 calls,” said SIFPD Chief
Phil Worsman. “This opportunity also allows us to provide much needed housing for our response vehicles, keeping them out of the harsh elements and allowing us to cut cost on maintenance fees that affect our budget.”
He continued, “This will also allow us to provide a classroom environment for fire and EMS training as well as a muchneeded area to hold community meetings – all of which are an important part of serving our community properly. These are just a few, but important, benefits of this project. We are thankful to those who worked tirelessly to see this grant through to fruition.”
It is not yet known when the county will receive the actual appropriation, which will come down in the form of a USDA Grant. However, it is anticipated that it should be disbursed within the next 12 months.
The grant requires a 20% match from the County, which will be working collaboratively over the next year on the conceptual design of the fire stations so that the project is as close to shovel-ready as possible once the funding actually lands.