HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-02-05 Packet - 12b Attachments Only
THERE IS NO STAFF REPORT FOR LIST ITEM NO. 3.
Attachment #2
North and South Station with 2 mile radius
• 0 2.4%
• 1 4.5%
• 2 18.9%
• 3 21.7%
4 19.4%
• 5 15.5%
6 8.4%
7 3.8%
8 2.2%
9 1.0%
9+ 2 .2%
Total: 100.0%
Response Times (In Minutes)
82.4% of 944 City responses from 7/1/2013 to
12/13/2013 were answered in less than 5 minutes
Attachment #3
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S): Receive the Presentation and hold Discussion
ALTERNATIVES:
Citizens advised:
Requested by:
Prepared by: Jane Chambers, City Manager
Coordinated with:
Attachments: 1. Ukiah Valley Fire District Interim Agreement Proposal; 2. UVFD Two Year City Response.
COUNCIL ACTION DATE: _____________: Approved Continued to___________________ Other _______
RECORDS APPROVED: Agreement: ____________ Resolution: ___________ Ordinance: __________
Approved: ___________________________
Jane Chambers, City Manager
ITEM NO.:
MEETING DATE:
2a
January 29, 2014
AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
SUBJECT: PROPOSED TWO YEAR INTERIM AGREEMENT FOR FIRE SERVICES WITH UKIAH
VALLEY FIRE DISTRICT: PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
Background: Fire Ad/Hoc members Doug Crane and Benj Thomas have been meeting with the
appointed Ad/Hoc members from Ukiah Valley Fire District (UVFD) since late last year. Those
discussions have progressed to a proposed two year interim agreement for fire services to be provided
by UVFD, between January, 2014 and December, 2015.
As has been reported previously to the City Council, it has become necessary to focus on an interim
agreement as a means for moving forward with UVFD for combined services. Before City Firefighter
personnel can be merged with District personnel (as was included in the original proposal to provide
services from UVFD), both the District and City must comply with requirements under the Public
Employees Retirement System (PERS) system that covers employees of both agencies. In order to meet
these requirements, as well as to plan and work towards a complete revenue and expenditures proposal
for a merger, a two year interim agreement has been proposed. UVFD delivered a proposal to the City’s
Ad/Hoc members to which the City’s Ad/Hoc and City Manager have made a response that was
presented at the January 16, 2014 joint Fire Ad/Hoc Committee meeting.
Discussion: Attached is the power point presentation given on January 16, 2014, and a spread sheet.
This presentation will be given at the Workshop, along with explanation of budgeted expenditures and
funding sources outlined on the spreadsheet.
UVFD representatives have asked that the City of Ukiah respond to their proposal at the earliest date
possible. The purpose of this presentation is to allow the City Council to discuss the proposal prior to
having this item placed on the February 5, 2014 City Council agenda for possible action.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Budgeted Amount in Current FY
New Appropriation
Source of Funds
(Title & No.)
Account Number Budget Amendment Required
Yes No
The fiscal impacts of the proposed two year interim agreement with UVFD will be discussed as part of the
presentation, including a proposal to utilize $440,000 of existing Fire Equipment Reserve Funding as the
primary source of funding for the two year agreement.
UKIAH
VALLEY FIRE
DISTRICT INTERIM
AGREEMENT PROPOSAL
CITY OF UKIAH FIRE AD/HOC COMMITTEE
RESPONSE JANUARY 16, 2014
RECENT HISTORY
•September 18, 2013: Ukiah City Council receives
proposal dated September 11, 2013 from UVFD to
provide contracted fire services.
•Ukiah City Council appoints Ad/Hoc members to
review the proposal and engage with UVFD
Ad/Hoc in proposal discussion.
•City Manager and Chief Bartlett work together on
proposal. A side by side comparison of the UVFD
proposal to the City of Ukiah existing Fire Budget is
presented to a joint Ad/Hoc meeting on October
11,2013.
RECENT HISTORY
•The side by side comparison shows that the City of
Ukiah is currently spending $2,469,717 on Fire
Services for FY 2013/14.
•The UVFD initial proposal is modified to show that
UVFD can provide fire services for both the City of
Ukiah and District residents for a cost of $3,043,348.
•The City Manager and Chief Bartlett recommended
modifying the original proposal to exclude certain
costs that will remain with each entity.
•The Shared costs of the $3,043,348 is proposed to be
$1.1 M from the District, and $1,943,348 from City.
Timeline for Agreement
•AD/HOCS discuss time line, City proposed 3 phases
of contract development.
•Time line of 2 years to enter contract rejected, one
year process preferred.
•November Ad/Hoc meeting to review PERS
requirements ( for City personnel to become District
personnel) results in recognition that PERS process
will take at least one year to complete.
•At December UVFD meeting, City proposes
alternative for 2 year Interim Agreement to allow for
PERS process, but address salary and work rule
issues.
UVFD DECEMBER 2013
PROPOSAL
•As a result of the discussion at UVFD Board meeting,
the District sends a 2 year Interim agreement
proposal to City of Ukiah.
•Asks the City to respond.
•UVFD proposes Two Year Interim Agreement,
January 2014 through December 2015.
•Requests $466,497 per year, to supply Fire Services.
o City Personnel remain paid by City
o District Personnel receive pay equal to City Personnel
o City pays for Stipend Program, Volunteer Program
o City pays portion of Rent, Utilities, Maintenance and Station Expenses
required to house City Personnel at District facilities
TWO YEAR CITY
RESPONSE
•City Manager has prepared a response and met
with Ukiah Ad/Hoc members, and then with Chief
Bartlett, to review the response prior to presentation
January 16.
•City based it Response On Following:
o How much “new money” ( over an above the existing $2.4M spent on Fire
Services) is required
o How this “new money” can be financed given the existing on-going and
unresolved structural deficit facing the City’s General Fund
o Used the District’s October 11, 2013 proposal for $3,043,348 as a basis
upon which to propose shared cost at 64/36%
o Two Year construct for thinking only: Actual agreement will require
splitting two year costs into 3 fiscal years. ( ½ of FY 2013/14, Whole of FY
2014/15, and ½ of FY 2015/16.
Basics of City Response
•City to Pay Regular Salaries and PERS amount needed to bring District personnel salaries in line with City of Ukiah personnel ( a same work, same pay principal)
•City to pay share of following items based on 64/36 split:
o Overtime
o Supplies
o EMS Supplies
•City to pay contracted services for Fire Chief and Stipend amounts. ( These amounts are already fixed, and covered in City budget).
•City to pay District to operate a Volunteer Program.
o Program Outcomes must be outlined in Two Year Agreement
Basics of City Response
•City has a 24 month agreement ( August 2013 to
August 2015) with Ambulance Provider for rental of
City Hall Fire Station. It will use rental proceeds of
approximately 21 months ( needs verification) to
offset District costs of housing City personnel
•District had projected $114,000 for utilities, building
maintenance and rent allocation in its 10/11/13
proposal. City can make a 64% share of that total
diverting these rental funds for this use.
Financing Proposal
•The proposed Two-Year Agreement requires a total
of $407,227 for Year One
•Plus $424,727 for Year Two
•Total of $831,954 ( Approximate Amounts)
•Reduced by funding already included in the City’s
Fire Budget to
•$228,477 for Year One
•$245,977 for Year Two
•Total of $474,454 ( Approximate Amounts)
Financing Proposal
•City to Use $440,000 from Fire Equipment Fund
•Additional Amount of UN-Funded Agreement estimated
at under $35,000
•Other Terms:
o City and District will send a mix of equipment & Personnel on OES calls
o City and District will split actual OES and medical equipment reimbursement on 64/36 basis.
o One District Unit First Out at One Station
o One City Unit First Out at One Station
o City/District will establish inventory of equipment and supplies as of January, 2014 and attach to agreement
o District and City will establish mileage on all equipment and attach to
agreement, and a formula to reimburse one another if total of mileage for either party over the course of the two year agreement exceeds 64/36%.
o Equipment purchased during term of agreement remains at end, on the piece of equipment it is housed upon.
REVISED SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON: UVFD TWO YEAR PROPOSAL
1/16/2014
10/11/2013 Two Year Two-Year PROPOSED WHOLE 3,043,348$
City Of Ukiah FY 13/14 Budget Items UVFD Proposal UVFD Proposal City Response DISTRICT 1.1M 36%
City of Ukiah 1.9 M 64%
Labor/Wages & Benefits Year One 1/01/14 Year Two 1/01/15 City Max Contribution Credit for Returned Amounts Use of Equipment
Regular Salaries 897,907$ 1,588,982$ 136,280$ 136,280$ 136,280$ Fixed Send a Mix of Equipment & Personnel District Unit First Out at One Station
Non-Reg 31,200$ 70,200$ Split AAC by Cost & Reimburshment
PERS 294,839$ 536,070$ 32,460$ 32,460$ 32,460$ Fixed of Medical Supplies City Unit First Out at One Station
OES, City receives 64% of Reimburshments
O/T 100,000$ 172,000$ 45,000$ 10,080$ 10,080$ Share 64/36% of Actual Annual Cost for OT,Equipment
Medicare 13,743$ 24,000$ (AAC)Establish Inventory as of 1/14
FICA 1,935$ 3,343$ Identify City
Unemployment 9,579$ 14,000$ Identify District
Unifrom Allowance 11,000$ 19,000$ Establish Mileage on All Equipment
Workers Comp 60,621$ 110,220$ District reimbursh City at 2 yr close
Health Insurance 83,273$ for mileage in excess of 64% of Total
Insurance All Types 173,333$ City to reimbursh District at 2 yr close
for mileage in excess of 36% of Total
Operations
Cell Phone Stipend 564$
Fuel & Fluids 15,000$ 35,000$ 7,400$ 7,400$ Share 64/36% of AAC
Maintence Contract DeFib 3,438$
Memberships 1,785$ 3,200$
Photo 220$
Postage 900$
Supplies 33,000$ 35,000$ (10,600)$ (10,600)$ Share 64/36% of AAC
Medical Oversight 2,000$ 15,000$ 15,000$
Rehit Support (Hazmat)5,000$
Software 5,200$
Contracted Services 144,400$ 109,000$ 151,500$ 42,000$ 42,000$
Volunteer Services 46,257$ 46,257$ 100,350$ 100,350$ Line Item Volunteer Budget Training 4,500$
Pay Roll Services 5,000$ 46,257$ 46,257$ Contracted Services 8,500$
Office Expense 8,000$ Insurance Allocation 1,332$
Training 12,000$ 13,000$ Cap City Share of Training @ $12,000 Supplies 31,925$
currently is limited to $1,000 per City staff,
Other Costs most important to individual 46,257$
Allcoated utilities 32,866$ 25,000$
Bldg Mainenance 148,550$ 20,000$
City Garage Labor 64,242$
City Garage Parts 2,406$
Vehicle-External Services 25,000$
Equipment Maintenance 4,950$
Dispatch 317,389$
General Gov Allocation 46,852$
Insurance Allocation 47,188$
Lease Payments 3,000$
Rent Allocation 43,246$ 69,000$
Telephone 4,800$
Fixed Assets 10,000$
DISTRICT TO HOUSE CITY 20,000$
35,000$ 28,000$ 45,500$
Total 2,514,350$
Less 5% FY 2013/14 Reduction 44,633$
Adjusted Resources 2,469,717$ 3,043,348$ 466,497$ 407,227$ 424,727$ 831,954$
REVISED SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON: UVFD TWO YEAR PROPOSAL
1/16/2014 Page Two
CITY FINANCING PROPOSAL FOR TWO YEAR AGREEMENT
Additional Estimated Cost of Two Agreement Over Current City Fire Budget 407,227$ 424,727$ 831,954
LESS Existing Funds Already Paid/Budgeted Stipend 100,350$ 100,350$
Chief Share 42,000$ 42,000$
Fire Inspector/Marshall 31,200$ 31,200$
Software 5,200$ 5,200$
NEW Funding Needed Over Current Budget
SHARES OF EACH AGENCY
228,477$ 245,977$ 474,454$
PROPOSED FUNDING RESOUCES USE OF FIRE EQUIPMENT FUND 220,000$ 220,000$ 440,000$
TOTAL UN-FUNDED NET NEW COST TO CITY OF UKIAH 8,477$ 25,977$ 34,454$
All Data Approximated
Further Validation Required
1
RETHINKING FIRE SERVICES
PART 1: FUTURE HAZY FOR SONOMA COUNTY'S FIREFIGHTERS By RANDI ROSSMANN & BRETT WILKISON THE PRESS DEMOCRAT January 25, 2014, 2:31 PM
Lakeville volunteer firefighters from left, Sam Martinez, Tyler Sturm and Matt Terrill, greet one another prior to a drill at the Lakeville fire
station in the rural Lakeville community south of Petaluma, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2013. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)
Sonoma County's complex rural firefighting network, much the same for decades, appears to be on the
cusp of dramatic change, starting with efforts by three northern agencies that are considering merging into
one sprawling district.
2
Fire and government officials are keenly watching the process involving departments in Geyserville,
Cloverdale and Healdsburg, plus Knights Valley volunteers. Their consolidation would create a fire
district covering about a third of Sonoma County, including the tax-lucrative Geysers geothermal fields.
Supporters of consolidation say it could enhance fire services and foreshadow a new model for rural fire
protection in the county. It ultimately could reshape volunteer companies at the heart of many small
communities, but government officials pledge it won't leave those areas unprotected.
Sonoma County's existing patchwork of fire services is fraying at the seams. The complex network
includes the county's 15 volunteer fire companies, protecting more than 15,000 people in the least
populated areas, plus 19 independent fire districts and five city departments. The system faces
competition for meager funding, operational inefficiencies and jockeying by some agencies anxious to
protect their turf.
For some of those reasons, the north county move is welcomed by a number of local fire service veterans.
“I think we need to quit fooling ourselves and realize the wave of the future is bigger instead of smaller,”
said longtime Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman, a proponent of consolidation whose district absorbed
Jenner firefighters years ago. “We're all afraid of giving up control, giving up our chiefs' jobs. It's great to
have that hometown feeling ... but we have to get realistic.”
A north county consolidation, plus moves considered by other fire entities around the county, could
eliminate a handful of jobs and exacerbate what is already a chronic funding struggle for many rural fire
departments.
At stake is property-tax revenue that represents more than two-thirds of the $3.3 million operating budget
that supports the county's 15 volunteer fire companies.
“There are a lot of points of view and thoughts on how what we're doing could be a game-changer,” said
Marshall Turbeville, chief of the Geyserville Fire Protection District.
The Board of Supervisors has said it wants to take a hard look at how Sonoma County provides fire
services. But the board could be forced to more quickly consider a significant overhaul if even a partial
redistribution of that tax money occurs.
The issue has prompted a flurry of meetings and closed-door conversations in recent months, with
volunteer chiefs especially concerned about the lasting impact on their companies, overseen by the
Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department.
Lakeville Volunteer Fire Chief Nick Silva said a funding shift that disadvantages volunteer county
companies means many “would probably cease to exist.”
“We wouldn't be able to support ourselves” without additional money from the county, Silva said.
The rumbling of change comes at a critical time for rural fire services, often the front line of local
government for small, far-flung communities.
3
In addition to the funding and operational woes, demographic changes have thinned the ranks of
volunteers — the historic heart and soul of the small departments — as rural areas draw aging residents or
commuters unable to fill roles that demand significant training and time.
“It's that neighbor- helping-neighbor commitment that makes fire protection in the county work,” said
Mark Aston, the recently retired county fire chief. “That's all wonderful and good. However, it starts to
bring up questions of economy of scale, effectiveness and efficiencies. They're making a penny stretch
into a dime, so efficiencies are already there. But there also are inefficiencies.”
Supervisor Mike McGuire, who represents the north county, said any immediate changes will evolve over
the next one to two years. Any funding shifts would be subject to negotiation, he stressed.
Board of Supervisors Chairman David Rabbitt said all options were on the table but that no outcome
should harm fire service for any particular area. “We can't have any holes in the county that aren't being
served,” he said.
Still, McGuire admitted the north county's talks have caused a countywide ripple. He likened the north
county's role in the process to a canary in the coal mine.
“I think it is time the county has a sincere discussion about the future of fire services,” he said. “That
means there are going to be some uncomfortable conversations.”
Among a range of possible outcomes, some volunteer companies could be absorbed by larger neighbors
in the short term. Over a longer period, the mergers could be broadened to form a smaller number of
regional departments.
The county could decide to get out of firefighting altogether, or, perhaps years down the road, take the
opposite, ambitious step of calling for one large county department.
One immediate challenge is that rural areas tend to have deep connections with their fire stations. In the
same way that communities hold on tightly to their small school districts, giving up those firefighting
identities can ruffle residents as well as firefighters.
“Every volunteer department has a lot of pride in their individual company,” said Matt Epstein, the new
chief of the Valley Ford volunteers. “All of us want to provide a better service for our community, and if
that means consolidation, I'd be for it. I don't know if the county can afford that right now.”
Several of the county's fire chiefs and county officials see at least some levels of fire department
consolidation as overdue and inevitable.
“We just can't keep going as usual. We have to make some economic decisions,” said Ray Mulas, chief of
Schell-Vista Fire Protection District, in the southeastern corner of the county.
“Over here, our talk is eventually we're all going to be one department,” Mulas said, referring to the five
firefighting agencies throughout the greater Sonoma Valley.
Mergers are complicated because they can involve reconciling different levels of tax funding for
neighboring fire services. But Baxman, the Monte Rio chief, a longtime advocate of joining forces, said
4
he sees it as the only way forward, citing districts' struggles with money, increased calls and fewer
volunteers.
Not everybody sees the need for change.
Some of the county's volunteer fire chiefs defend their companies' abilities and extensive unpaid service
to their communities, while praising the county's current efforts to bolster its volunteer network. With
additional support, they say, they can provide even better service to rural residents.
“I'm pretty happy with the way things are,” said longtime Bodega volunteer Chief Ron Albini, who
recently oversaw construction of a new station for his company. “They need to support the volunteer fire
companies and make sure we remain as viable as possible.”
In the south county, Lakeville Chief Silva said he and neighboring volunteer companies, including San
Antonio, already work closely together, making it unnecessary to merge.
“We're doing a lot for what we have and what the community as a whole is willing to pay for,” Silva said.
Lakeville, which covers 34 square miles, is next in line for a new fire station paid for by county funds.
Supervisor Efren Carrillo said the volunteer fire companies are “essential to public safety” and “cost-
effective.”
Their shared struggles don't appear to have one single solution that would settle all questions about the
future of county fire services, said Carrillo, who represents a west county region with six volunteer
companies.
“What that (service) looks like, I don't know,” he said. “I'm hopeful that successes we see in the short
term will help drive what the system looks like in the long term.”
Some, including Baxman, have raised the option of forming a single countywide agency. Others, citing
duplication of services and layers of management, have said the county should consider getting out of the
firefighting business and instead help the volunteer companies merge with fire districts.
“They are a fire company without a firetruck,” said a longtime local fire official who asked to withhold
his name to speak candidly on a sensitive topic. He cited a half-dozen fire management positions in the
central county fire office that aren't front-line responders. “The reality is they aren't performing any of
those public safety responsibilities,” the official said.
Others, including officials inside the department, reject those claims, saying their managerial oversight
and leadership at the scene of fires are valuable parts of the current county fire services model. The 15
companies, they say, are the county's fire department.
“Sonoma County is doing it right,” said Roberta MacIntyre, the assistant county fire chief.
Rabbitt, whose district has six volunteer companies, dismissed the possibility of wholesale changes
happening anytime soon. But he acknowledged the many moving parts could force a decision about fire
service countywide.
5
“Things are evolving, and we've been having to pick up the pieces,” Rabbitt said. “It is pivotal, but at the
same time, I don't think you'll find the board going in a direction that's not going to be accepted by all.”
Changes percolating in other county corners, adding to the sense of a pending overhaul, include:
•Along the southeastern county border, Schell-Vista fire officials are considering annexations, including
Sonoma Raceway, now within the jurisdiction of Lakeville volunteers. The additional areas Schell-Vista
is eyeing generate about $44,000 in gross tax revenue, more than half of it from the raceway. Net tax
figures for the area — after a state shift for educational funding — were not available.
•To the far northwest, volunteer fire officials at The Sea Ranch are considering formation of their own
fire district, possibly encompassing a large swath of the northern coast of the Annapolis volunteer
company. Sea Ranch currently generates more than $1 million in net tax revenue for county fire services.
About 70 percent of that money stays with the community to pay for its ongoing contract with Cal Fire
for around-the-clock coverage. The remainder goes to the shared budget for county volunteer companies.
A new district could stake a claim to the entirety of the Sea Ranch tax revenue for fire services.
“We don't have any political agenda or bad feelings toward (the county),” said Mike Scott, chief of the
Sea Ranch volunteers. “We just want to make sure we're providing the best services we can for the money
Sea Ranch is paying.”
•The Sonoma County department itself is in the midst of a turnover at the top, with a new chief brought
on last month from outside the area.
“I'm not here to mess up anything that's going right,” said Al Terrell, the incoming chief.
But Terrell supports regional consolidations where they can eliminate service duplications in a
concentrated area.
“The reality is, in certain areas, depending on the needs of the community, consolidation has to be a
consideration,” he said.
The north county consolidation would take in areas — including The Geysers — that generate more than
$1 million in net tax revenue for county fire service.
All together, the amount of money at stake from the various possible financial changes rises to two-thirds
of the county's annual $3.3 million firefighting budget.
“If these consolidations happen and this money goes away, it's a problem for county fire. But county fire
already has a problem of being underfunded,” said Epstein, Valley Ford's volunteer chief. “It's going to
force people to address an issue that's already there.”
The Sea Ranch, north county and Schell-Vista fire officials are prepared to argue that the money should
go with the agency providing the fire service. That's historically been the decision in every recent case in
which fire entities have merged or expanded, said Brian Elliott, Cloverdale's former chief and a retired
Santa Rosa fire captain. Elliott is a consultant for five agencies in financial talks with the county.
6
“I don't want this to be an argument at all,” Elliott said. “This is about service delivery and how we need
to fund it.”
He said the fundamental fire services question for county supervisors remains: “Are you in the game or
are you out of the game?”
Fire chiefs said they are looking for the answer.
“All of us need to know what the direction of county fire is,” said Steve Adams, Healdsburg's fire chief.
“We need to have a road map. At the end, what is it we want to look like?”
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com and
Staff Writer Brett Wilkison at 521-5295 or brett.wilkison@pressdemocrat.com.
1
RETHINKING FIRE SERVICES
PART 2: REWARDS, HURDLES IN NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY FIRE MERGER
By RANDI ROSSMANN & BRETT WILKISON THE PRESS DEMOCRAT January 25, 2014, 2:55 PM
San Antonio volunteer firefighter Matt Pellow yells for more water as he battles a blaze on
Sunday, Sept.8, 2013 in Sonoma. San Antonio is one of 5 volunteer companies in Sonoma
County. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
2
The idea of one huge northern Sonoma County fire district offers potential benefits, but the path is
complicated, with financial and organizational obstacles to overcome and the identities of independent
districts in the balance.
It's an option that could turn a 500-square-mile area now supervised by four fire chiefs into one
jurisdiction with a single chief.
The new district would cover a third of Sonoma County, stretching from the coast range to the borders of
Mendocino, Lake and Napa counties, and south toward greater Windsor. It would include the cities of
Healdsburg and Cloverdale, numerous rural communities, Highway 101, upscale winery and vineyard
regions, Lake Sonoma and The Geysers geothermal fields on the Sonoma-Lake county border.
If approved, it would be the largest fire service merger in modern county history. Supporters say the idea
is born of a dire need.
Cloverdale and Geyserville districts are struggling with tighter budgets, fewer volunteers and increasing
calls for help. Those two agencies and Healdsburg's department all work together so much in their
expansive corner of the county that it seems like common sense to join forces, Cloverdale Fire Chief
Jason Jenkins said.
“Cloverdale, Geyserville and Healdsburg were looking at opportunities to share resources and provide a
stronger volunteer workforce for our community,” Jenkins said.
The other entity involved is the Knights Valley Volunteer Fire Department, overseen by Sonoma County's
Fire and Emergency Services Department.
The four outfits are working on the idea with Sonoma County officials under the guidance of the county's
Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees expansions of government boundaries. A six-
month study commissioned by LAFCO is expected in May. Recommended results would range from
doing nothing to a partial merger to all-out consolidation.
While the northern chiefs said they favor several benefits of regionalized firefighting, they also listed
numerous hurdles.
“We have very different budgets, staffing levels, pay scales, benefits,” said Healdsburg Fire Chief Steve
Adams. “If the agencies are to merge, there's a lot of work to be done at the financial level... It's not as
easy as it sounds.”
Healdsburg Mayor Jim Wood said the city is participating in the study, but the City Council wouldn't
want to make changes if they reduce the effectiveness of the city's firefighting force.
“If there are ways we can help other agencies and still continue to provide the highest level of service,
we're definitely open to that,” Wood said.
Geyserville and Cloverdale fire officials are committed to a merger and could complete it relatively
quickly, said Jenkins and Geyserville Chief Marshall Turbeville.
A larger consolidation taking in the entire north county could take at least three years, fire officials said.
3
Mergers occur periodically, to varying degrees. In 2011, the departments in Windsor and Rincon Valley
consolidated their management into the Central Fire Authority; firefighters have remained with their
original departments. The effort still is working through growing pains involving budgets and staffing.
In 2012, the city of Ukiah in Mendocino County took steps toward merging three fire departments by
hiring a fire chief who already was chief of the Ukiah
On the east side of Sonoma County, the city of Sonoma and Valley of the Moon district firefighters in
2002 formed a joint-powers authority that evolved into a complete consolidation under the name of the
Sonoma Valley Fire Protection District.
Others have rejected the idea. A 2005 study recommended that Bodega Bay, Monte Rio and Russian
River districts merge into a single regional agency, but the district boards never took that step and remain
independent entities.
Patchwork of firefighting agencies
The northern departments involved in current merger talks form a microcosm of Sonoma County's
mishmash of firefighting agencies.
Cloverdale, covering 68 square miles, and Geyserville, covering 218 square miles, are fire districts. They
have a couple of paid firefighters, a handful of volunteer firefighters and part-time paid chiefs.
Healdsburg's department covers four square miles with 12 paid firefighters and a full-time paid chief.
The city also contracts with the county for $125,000 a year to pick up calls in the 64-square-mile rural
area known as Sotoyome, as well as Fitch Mountain.
To the northeast lies Knights Valley. Veteran Chief Augie Grube and about eight volunteer firefighters
make up the company for the 48-square-mile area between Calistoga and Healdsburg.
In 2012, the volunteers operated on a shoestring budget of $7,850 — not counting fundraisers. Knights
Valley volunteers responded to 57 calls in 2012, according to the county.
The larger, neighboring agencies also respond to Knights Valley calls, often showing up ahead of
volunteers.
Even if studies show that joining forces would be best, a merger couldn't work without additional money,
fire officials said.
That money could come from as much as $1 million in property tax dollars collected by the county in
various unincorporated northern areas, including about $500,000 from The Geysers geothermal fields.
The money is parceled out to Sonoma County's 15 volunteer fire companies, which mainly lie many miles
away from the northern areas. The only part of it to stay in the northern zone each year is $7,500 budgeted
for Knights Valley, plus training funds and equipment; the $125,000 Sotoyome-Fitch Mountain contract
with Healdsburg; and about $10,000 to Geyserville for calls to The Geysers.
4
That minimal share doesn't sit well with the northern fire chiefs, who will negotiate with the county for a
greater stake of the money.
“We are the agencies that protect the north county and have done that for many, many years,” said
Jenkins. “The money should go to the agencies that provide that service. We have to be strong enough to
have the ability to provide that service.”
Healdsburg's Chief Adams cited the large, late-season wildfire at The Geysers in November. The
response included the northern local fire departments and agencies from around the state. But no one
responded from the local volunteer companies that directly benefit from The Geysers money, Adams said.
Questions about sharing resources, oversight identity
To help with the negotiations, the Geyserville and Cloverdale districts have hired former Cloverdale Fire
Chief Brian Elliott, a private consultant specializing in fire department issues.
Supervisor Mike McGuire, who represents the north county and supports consolidation, cautioned that the
north zone shouldn't get all of the tax money.
“We can't sacrifice one agency for another,” McGuire said.
The northern chiefs said they're aware that, if the merger happens, their gain would leave a substantial
financial hole for some of their countywide peers. They agreed with McGuire that their volunteer
counterparts can't be left in further financial difficulty and suggested the county would need to provide for
those agencies in other ways.
“I'm not supportive of Healdsburg benefiting from something if another agency is going to have to reduce
services. It all needs to be fair,” said Adams.
Geyserville Chief Turbeville suggested the county could consider a different model for the remaining fire
companies, “maybe a countywide fire protection district.”
Then there is the question of how a consolidated northern district would be governed.
In addition to the four fire chiefs involved, there are currently three boards of directors, the Healdsburg
City Council and the county Board of Supervisors making decisions about the area's firefighting budgets
and needs.
Other issues are perhaps closer to the hearts of the communities: What would a new fire district be called?
And what would happen to the identities of the current agencies?
“Personally I am a little protective of our guys (firefighters). I want to see when our firefighters are in our
community, I want to see those patches that say 'Healdsburg Fire Department,'” Mayor Wood said.
Jenkins acknowledged the identity issue is serious.
“We all have strong ties and connections with our communities. It's really important that is not lost,”
Jenkins said.
5
He expected that whatever the name of a new district, the fire engines from each community still would
keep their local names.
“The community will feel a sense of pride in their fire department as they always have,” said Jenkins.
(You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. You
can reach Staff Writer Brett Wilkison at 521-5295 or brett.wilkison@pressdemocrat.com.)
1
RETHINKING FIRE SERVICES
PART 3: SONOMA COUNTY'S NEW FIRE CHIEF ARRIVES AT TIME OF CHANGE By BRETT WILKISON & RANDI ROSSMANN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT January 26, 2014, 2:37 PM
Alfred 'Al' Terrell, the new fire chief for Sonoma County Fire, talks with Wilmar chief Mike Mickelson, left and Wes Kitchel, assistant county
fire chief, on Wednesday Dec. 18, 2013, at the Wilmar Volunteer Fire Department. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)
Alfred Terrell said he was looking for a new challenge when he applied last year for the top job leading
Sonoma County's Fire and Emergency Services Department.
Hired by the Board of Supervisors in November, Terrell, a former West Sacramento chief and 26-year fire
services veteran, now has his work cut out for him.
2
Funding issues and potential mergers between local fire districts are weighing heavily on the future of the
county department and the volunteer fire corps it oversees.
The new face in the chief's post has added to the uncertainty for some on the county's fire lines. Terrell,
who started work in early December, has sought to extinguish those concerns.
“We're in a time of change,” he said recently. “Things that are working well, I'm not here to change that.
I'm here to assist this program in identifying efficiencies and to try to make it better. What that looks like,
I don't have my arms around that yet.”
Still, Terrell's leadership — he is under a three-year contract — could be marked by fundamental changes
in how the county provides and funds rural fire services, perhaps reshaping the map for its 15 volunteer
companies.
The companies cover more than 40 percent of the county, with about 220 trained responders plus 100
board members and support personnel.
Their dispatch boundaries range in size from Annapolis, responsible for 126 square miles in the county's
rugged northwest corner, to tiny Camp Meeker, covering just two square miles north of Occidental.
The largest company, Wilmar, has 29 firefighters, while the smallest, Sotoyome, has just one and exists as
a force in name only, having previously shifted its volunteers and duties to Healdsburg's fire department.
The busiest, Sea Ranch and Wilmar, responded to more than 200 calls in 2012, according to the county.
Fort Ross volunteers responded to the fewest — 16 calls.
Nearly all are plagued by funding woes, their annual support from the county insufficient to fully cover
the rising cost of firefighting.
“I operate a fire department with $15,000 a year,” said Matt Epstein, the Valley Ford volunteer chief.
“We do a good job. We could do better.”
Terrell has voiced support for the volunteer firefighters, calling them “dedicated and skilled,” the public
face of a county-commanded program he called “incredible” and “very effective.”
At the same time, he has kept the door open for significant overhaul, including regional consolidations
that could fold some companies into larger entities. A study of what could be the first of those mergers —
involving the Knights Valley volunteers and departments from Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Geyserville
— kicked off last year.
Such changes, fueled largely by funding shortages, are increasingly common for rural departments,
though they can mean an end for beloved fire outfits that have represented remote outposts for decades or
longer.
“In this day and time, the fire industry has to take a hard core look at how it does business,” Terrell said.
“Opportunities to take advantage of incremental, regional consolidation should be taken seriously by
certain areas. Is this one of them? I can't say that yet.”
3
His predecessor, retired chief Mark Aston, presided over moves that solidified county command of the
volunteer companies while seeking to improve their training, upgrade equipment and build new facilities.
The Board of Supervisors on Jan. 7 signed off on a $302,000 contract to build the latest of those projects,
a new station in Annapolis. The total budgeted cost, including design, is $500,000.
Aston said such upgrades, though costly, are crucial.
“We have volunteers committed to these communities willing to put their life on the line to help their
neighbors,” he said last month by phone from his home in Coarsegold, north of Fresno. “We owe them
the best possible training, equipment and leadership.”
County supervisors have made similar comments but have resisted moves so far to dip into general funds
to supplement fire services. Instead, they've tapped into special reserves to support capital projects and
provide some one-time help for strapped departments.
“These companies all desperately need a permanent place to call their own, to work from, to train from
and deploy from,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt. “The county has a role in that.”
What role is the question likely to dominate Terrell's tenure, or at least his initial years with the county.
He said any decisions would not be immediate nor his alone. They would come from the Board of
Supervisors, and ideally, from the volunteer ranks and the communities they serve.
“There is an unknown right now,” he said. “(But) this goes back to taking a hard look. If there are
inefficiencies to identify, now is the time to do it. We've gone through some bad turns with the economy.
Things are starting to stabilize a little bit. Now might be the perfect time.”
(You can reach Staff Writer Brett Wilkison at 521-5295 or at brett.wilkison@pressdemocrat.com. You
can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.)
1
RETHINKING FIRE SERVICES
PART 4: SONOMA COUNTY'S FIREFIGHTING NETWORK DIFFERS
FROM NEIGHBORS By RANDI ROSSMANN & BRETT WILKISON THE PRESS DEMOCRAT January 26, 2014, 2:49 PM
The Lakeville fire station, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2013. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)
Sonoma County's 15 rural volunteer firefighting companies blend old school coverage with modern
methods.
It's not a unique model in the state, but it's also not common and it differs sharply from how neighboring
counties provide county fire services.
2
The volunteer companies operate under the umbrella of Sonoma County's Fire and Emergency Services
Department. Its $3.3 million firefighting budget supports insurance, training, equipment, maintenance and
paid fire management in the county department, though each of the companies also have their own
volunteer chiefs.
The overall budget for the department, which also handles hazardous materials, fire prevention and
emergency services, is $9.2 million.
The model gives Sonoma County a volunteer firefighting force of about 220 responders — far below the
stated goal of 300 volunteers.
The companies, aided by neighboring departments and districts that are volunteer and paid, are primarily
responsible for protection and prevention across 680 square miles, or about 43 percent of the county.
The companies tend to cover some of the most rural and least populated areas — altogether just over
15,200 residents — with generally less property tax revenue to sustain independent operations.
But it is a cheaper operation than used in other counties, where funding and geographical challenges have
also driven fire service decisions over the years.
Marin County has its own paid countywide department covering unincorporated areas spanning about 250
square miles, with responsibility for about 20,000 residents. Its overall budget is $20.5 million, including
$3.5 million paid by Cal Fire to the county to cover areas of state jurisdiction.
Napa County, on the other hand, contracts with Cal Fire for coverage in the unincorporated area and
Yountville, a region spanning about 720 square miles, with 29,000 residents. The department's overall
budget is $12.6 million.
Napa County has two dedicated sources of funding for its fire service, a watershed tax and a structure
protection tax, both paid on the property tax bill. The county supports nine volunteer companies.
“There are always challenges when you mix career and volunteer firefighters,” said Scott Upton, the Napa
County fire chief. “But I think we have a good system here. It's working well.”
Fire officials say the hybrid approach, offering paid and volunteer ranks, suits rural areas with lower call
volumes.
“My opinion is, for the taxpayer, that model works the best,” said Eric Hoffmann, Cal Fire unit chief for
Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Colusa and Yolo counties. “It's almost impossible to afford a full-time paid
response in a county that is not fully urbanized.”
Volunteer firefighters throughout Sonoma County have been rushing to their neighbor's aid for well over
a century.
Throughout the years fire coverage in some areas settled into more organized fire districts — still
primarily staffed by volunteers — and city departments.
For those rural communities that held onto their all-volunteer companies, it's gotten harder and harder to
keep up with rising costs and mandated safety regulations.
3
Multiple studies dating as far back as the 1970s have looked at consolidating fire services in different
parts of the county. Many of the districts now in existence were once volunteer companies.
Marin County has its own paid countywide department covering unincorporated areas spanning about 250
square miles, with responsibility for about 20,000 residents. Its overall budget is $20.5 million, including
$3.5 million paid by Cal Fire to the county to cover areas of state jurisdiction.
Napa County, on the other hand, contracts with Cal Fire for coverage in the unincorporated area and
Yountville, a region spanning about 720 square miles, with 29,000 residents. The department's overall
budget is $12.6 million.
Napa County has two dedicated sources of funding for its fire service, a watershed tax and a structure
protection tax, both paid on the property tax bill. The county supports nine volunteer companies.
“There are always challenges when you mix career and volunteer firefighters,” said Scott Upton, the Napa
County fire chief. “But I think we have a good system here. It's working well.”
Fire officials say the hybrid approach, offering paid and volunteer ranks, suits rural areas with lower call
volumes.
“My opinion is, for the taxpayer, that model works the best,” said Eric Hoffmann, Cal Fire unit chief for
Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Colusa and Yolo counties. “It's almost impossible to afford a full-time paid
response in a county that is not fully urbanized.”
Volunteer firefighters throughout Sonoma County have been rushing to their neighbor's aid for well over
a century.
Throughout the years fire coverage in some areas settled into more organized fire districts — still
primarily staffed by volunteers — and city departments.
For those rural communities that held onto their all-volunteer companies, it's gotten harder and harder to
keep up with rising costs and mandated safety regulations.
Multiple studies dating as far back as the 1970s have looked at consolidating fire services in different
parts of the county. Many of the districts now in existence were once volunteer companies.
This month the county acquired two new, small engines at $180,000 each for Camp Meeker and
Mayacamas volunteer companies. The vehicles were paid for with grant money and out of county
firefighting funds.
A third purchase up for approval Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors would secure a used engine for San
Antonio's volunteers, at a cost of $76,125.
Assistant County Fire Chief Roberta MacIntyre, a veteran of the department, acknowledged the money
concerns, calling the volunteer companies “woefully underfunded.”
But she also defended the county's model, saying its volunteer companies were far better off under the
county's centralized command and administration than volunteer companies in some of Northern
California's more rural counties, where they survive strictly on fundraisers and grants.
4
“We're providing funding for them as best we can,” MacIntyre said. “It's very difficult to meet all of their
needs with the funding streams we have.”
(You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. You
can reach Staff Writer Brett Wilkison at 521-5295 or at brett.wilkison@pressdemocrat.com.)