The Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors is expected to consider accepting over $1.8 million in federal funding at its Thursday board meeting. This allocation from the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is designated to bolster search and rescue efforts, specifically in anticipation of El Niño's expected impacts, according to OC Fire Authority officials.
The proposed funding arrives as Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency earlier in the week, responding to the strengthening conditions of a "Super El Niño." Experts suggest this El Niño season could be the strongest on record, potentially bringing heavy rains and high surf to the region. Orange County's coastal cities, including Laguna Beach, San Clemente, and Dana Point, are already preparing for high tides and surf that have caused damage. Seal Beach city officials are, for instance, preparing to construct a 14-foot sand berm and coordinating with emergency response crews.
The federal grant would support California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5), a FEMA urban search and rescue task force sponsored by the OC Fire Authority and based in Orange County. This 70-person team comprises firefighters from the OC Fire Authority, Anaheim Fire Department, and Orange Fire Department. FEMA describes these task forces as trained to rescue individuals trapped in collapsed structures, floods, and other disaster scenarios. CA-TF5 is one of 28 urban search and rescue task forces nationwide and one of eight located in California.
According to a staff report, CA-TF5 has historically utilized Cooperative Agreement funds and activation reimbursements to equip and train its members for diverse missions, including rescuing victims from collapsed structures, responding to natural disasters, and addressing threats from weapons of mass destruction or terrorist attacks. OCFA officials indicate that the grant is part of a fixed funding mechanism that these task forces have received since the 1990s. The $56 million federal grant is split among the 28 task forces, with the money flowing from DHS to FEMA and then distributed evenly. California Task Force 5 Program Manager Mike Yeun noted that this predictable allocation simplifies budgeting for the task force. The funds are allocated across administration, training, equipment, and storage and maintenance.
California Task Force 5 has a history of national deployments, providing assistance in search and rescue missions during natural disasters across the country. In 2024, for example, the task force aided in the response to Hurricane Helene, a category four hurricane that affected multiple states. Currently, the task force is pre-positioned to assist in Hawaii, which has recently experienced significant storms and flooding.
Local preparedness for El Niño in Orange County involves OCFA readying its firefighters for the storms, akin to standard rainy season operations. This includes preparations to provide mutual aid to Orange County cities, deploying fire engines, rescue personnel, or helicopters as needed, particularly to cities like Dana Point and San Clemente, which are part of OCFA's jurisdiction. However, if a severe El Niño event were to directly impact Southern California and a federal state of emergency were declared, CA-TF5's ability to respond locally would be limited. Task force members would be engaged in their respective local departments, and specialized task forces are typically deployed from outside the immediate crisis area. Officials have indicated that in such a scenario, task forces from Northern California and Nevada would likely be pre-positioned to offer aid for search and rescue operations. OCFA officials underscore that preparing for this rainy season is "no different than every other rainy season" in terms of readiness for potential water rescues and other impacts, as stated by Mike Yeun.
