Is there a hard date for when the contract officially ends
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We’ve seen this happen many times across the state- a failed fire district being absorbed by a neighboring district that’s financially healthier. It just happened at Rodeo Hercules in Contra Costa and at Chester on Lake Almanor. A few years ago Scotts Valley absorbed a small neighbor and Con Fire annexed the sprawling East Contra Costa FPD. Bunch of consolidations in Sonoma and El Dorado. It will happen again and again with increasing frequency as our rural and suburban fire districts collapse as costs rise faster than revenue.
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That’s what happened in Tulare County and CDF was sold down the river by a retired Region Chief and a Unit Chief wanting to be the big duck in a small pound
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That’s the worst ones. I have never understood men who will turn their backs on their people like that. And again, it’s not about the patch when I say that, but any time a contract is cancelled or significantly changed, it upends the lives of the men and their families. And that’s regardless of what agencies we are talking about.
People who would do that for personal gain do not belong in the fire service.
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Tulare was not a loss, 1.0 staffing
Let them have it
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It just happened … at Chester on Lake Almanor.
This is still kind of being wrangled out. The real issue is future funding, as the Peninsula Fire Department can’t just pay to keep the Chester station open without funds from the town’s residents in addition to their own tax base. Which got shot down last time a tax was floated, last spring (I voted Yes on the $450 annual parcel tax option, myself). Which led to the Chester Fire Department being closed, after a stretch with a couple of volunteers keeping it running. A contract with CalFire was discussed, but was apparently too expensive.
You’d think a town in the middle of a million acres of burned forest, that has a population with a median age in the mid-50s and a constant stream of people being flown out for medical care, would be willing to pay for fire protection & ambulance services … we’ll see the next time a Measure is on the ballot.
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“You’d think a town in the middle of a million acres of burned forest, that has a population with a median age in the mid-50s and a constant stream of people being flown out for medical care, would be willing to pay for fire protection & ambulance services”
I think you lost them at “think”. I was amazed that too few property owners in Chester voted in favor of something most citizens expect as basic and essential features of civilization. But the county at large has too much of that attitude. Complain incessantly about lack of sufficient law enforcement, and then defeat money for the sheriff’s office at the polls.
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It’s almost like that word those people use to describe others……oh what was it again? Entitled. That’s the one.
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Apparently the wrangling has ended. Chester residents will pay the $442 Peninsula Fire District assessment as approved by LAFCO.
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… leaving Chester with only one “draconian” option: hiring Cal Fire at an even higher cost.
“draconian” LOL…
So Chester votes down an assessment of $450 then gets annexed into Peninsulas and will be assessed $442.50. This is the kind of thing that gets movements started.
20K people and 18 fire departments each with probably a (minimally) paid chief…LOL again…
Not knowing much about the area it looks like Peninsula really stepped up to help out its che*p a** neighbors. Props to them.
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I live in Tulare county and have always heard this but haven’t heard the actual story of how it all went down. Care to explain? TIA
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Yeah it sad because the chief who now retired told the rank and file he doesn’t care or interested in keeping the SSCFPD as a contract last year.
He’s now the new Chief of Redwood City.
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It’s actually not quite wrapped up yet. I talked to the Fire Chief the other day, and he’s confident it’ll work out, but there’s some administrative steps still not completed. Trust me, everyone here is happy to consolidate the fire districts - it’s just an issue of who wants to pay for what, and what’s possible with the existing funding. This is actually relevant to wildland firefighting and this forum, in that the Peninsula Fire Department sends out strike teams to work fires, including for Pallisades, and getting paid to do so was a big part of Chester Fire’s funding.
The Chester Fire Department (so to speak) is also on both Plumas County and Chester Airport land, so that works into both CalFire and Forest Service considerations when it comes to fires being fought using airport grounds, and whether or not the Fire Department will even be involved (and I want them to be).
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Retired Region Chief was hired by the CAO of Tulare County to do a feasibility study. RRRC hires his wife to do the typing. When the report was complete the BOS decided to cancel the contract. The Unit Chief Retired and was hired as the first Chief of the newly formed Tulare County Fire Departments.
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Yeah.
This is something that should be consolidated at the county level … but that would make too much sense. And I say that as a county employee.
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I’ve often wondered if a Cal Fire station or two in Plumas County (it’s over 100 miles between the Westwood CF station in Lassen County to the CF station at the Truckee airport on the Nevada and Placer County line. Lots of SRA in both Plumas & Sierra Counties in between.) might not only serve the public well in the protection of private lands but become a catalyst for the forward progress of fire protection in “The Lost Sierra”.
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While there is lots of Private land in Sierra County. There is not any SRA. One of the few counties like that.
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I think the SRA in Plumas County & Sierra County is USFS Direct Protection but nonetheless State Responsibility Area. Exchange of protection areas via “ land balancing” some years ago, in my opinion, stifled the development of Cal Fires role in the part of the eastern Sierra.
When I look at the SRA Viewer I still see SRA in both these counties… of course I may be mistaken. I know there’s no SRA in Sutter County but I have thought Sutter was unique.
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There is lots of SRA in Sierra County. It is all traded away as Fed DPA, some on the east side is LRA because it is ag land similar to the valley.
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Traded or not per the current DPA map it’s all FRA with a lot of LRA. Having spent a portion of my career there in both sides of the County I’m very clear of the ins and outs.
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