The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District is seeking $10.5 million in federal funding to build an Emergency Communication Center. The grant application appears in a recap on the board's Wednesday, Sept. 16 meeting agenda.

The district submitted the application June 26 to the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), a competitive federal program administered by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. The program funds community infrastructure projects that support nearby military installations. Between fiscal years 2020 and 2025, OLDCC awarded 88 projects totaling $486 million nationwide.

No award has been announced. OLDCC said Aug. 5 that FY26 results will be posted when grants are awarded. The grant recap will appear as a consent calendar item at the 1 p.m. meeting at 18027 Calle Ambiente, Ste. 101, in Rancho Santa Fe. The board is not scheduled to vote on the application itself.

A neighboring agency, North County Fire Protection District, received $7 million through the same program last fiscal year for a new fire station, according to the district.

August operations: 478 incidents, three wildfire deployments

The board will also receive the district's August 2026 operations report, which shows 478 incidents during the month. Medical calls accounted for about 65% of the total.

The report lists deployments to three out-of-area wildfires. The Gann Fire ignited Aug. 3 near Valley Springs in Calaveras County, burning more than 6,495 acres and forcing 1,473 residents to evacuate, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office. The Hoopa Fire prompted evacuation orders in Humboldt County beginning Aug. 12. The Timber Fire in the Los Padres National Forest near Big Sur had burned 25,380 acres and was 27% contained as of Thursday, Sept. 10, with 1,627 firefighters assigned, according to the Los Padres National Forest.

The district operates six fire stations serving communities in and around Rancho Santa Fe.

New business: overtime pay, Verizon lease

Under new business, the board will consider Resolution 2026-08, which would authorize overtime and portal-to-portal pay for district employees. The board will also weigh a first amendment to its Verizon communication lease agreement.

The district's August financial report shows total distributions of about $2.1 million, including about $1.03 million in checks and electronic transfers and about $1.07 million in payroll.

Fire Chief Dave McQuead and the five-member board, led by President James H. Ashcraft, last met Aug. 19, when they unanimously adopted the fiscal year 2026/2027 budget.

Residents can submit written public comments to [email protected] with "Public Comment" in the subject line by 11 a.m. Sept. 16. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21.