The city of Gilroy’s recent decision to pull out of talks to
regionalize fire and emergency medical services into one agency
could affect the city of Morgan Hill’s efforts to further study the
idea.
The city of Gilroy’s recent decision to pull out of talks to regionalize fire and emergency medical services into one agency could affect the city of Morgan Hill’s efforts to further study the idea.
The two cities and Santa Clara County have been in talks since 2009 to consider the potential savings and service improvements that could occur in South County under a regional, consolidated approach.
An ad-hoc steering committee containing representatives of both cities, plus the county and the South County fire district, has been in the process of conducting a detailed analysis of the possibilities of a full or partial regionalization.
In preparation for the next meeting of the steering committee April 13, Morgan Hill’s council Wednesday will consider their answers to a questionnaire submitted in December 2010 to all the agencies currently providing emergency fire and medical services in South County. The questions have to do with why or why not each agency currently providing fire and medical services in South County would participate in an intricate regionalization study.
A city staff report indicates that a lack of participation by other agencies could potentially preclude Morgan Hill from pursuing a further study of regionalization or consolidation. The absence of Gilroy in the talks of a new service delivery model would, by definition, prevent a full regionalization of services from north Morgan Hill to south Gilroy.
However, the committee has not determined that such an all-in-one approach would be the best option, and the steering committee – which includes Mayor Steve Tate and Councilman Larry Carr – could still consider regionalizing or consolidating a “subset” of the South County region, according to Morgan Hill recreation and community services director Steve Rymer.
Unlike Morgan Hill, Gilroy has its own fire department. At a council study session last week, Gilroy council members and staff decided that the cost of staff time expected to be spent on a regionalization study would be prohibitive in the current economic climate, they are content with having their own fire department, and the city has already begun implementing cost-cutting measures in the GFD. Therefore, the council decided to leave its current fire department the way it is.
South County and its 112,000 residents are currently served by a web of fire and EMS agencies who cover different service areas inside the city limits as well as unincorporated areas. The service providers help each other as needed when responding to fires, traffic accidents and medical emergencies.
The city of Morgan Hill has a contract with Santa Clara County’s Central Fire district, which is managed by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and also serves more populated areas to the north. The city paid $5.4 million for services under that contract this year.
The city of Gilroy’s fire department staffs 36 sworn firefighters, with a budget of about $6.8 million this year.
In the unincorporated areas of South County, the South County Fire District provides fire and EMS services. That district has its own board of directors, who answer to the supervisors. The South County district has a contract for personnel and equipment with Calfire, a state agency that also serves more remote areas near Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Response times have not suffered as a result of the “fragmented and complicated” relationship between the agencies, cities and county, according to a study of countywide fire services conducted by the Local Agency Formation Commission in December.
Still, the Morgan Hill City Council has long sought to at least determine how much money a regionalized approach might save, without compromising the current service levels. Regional fire services could be comprehensive or partial, and could take one of many forms, including combining all the existing departments into one agency under a joint powers agreement, hiring a single contractor to serve all the areas, or sharing only one aspect of service operation such as communication centers or equipment.
By necessity due to the recent economic downturn and shriveling public revenues, the agencies in the past two years have already implemented some efforts to share resources and save money. The city of Gilroy, South County and Central Fire districts last year agreed to share a battalion chief who oversees crews that respond to calls from all three areas on some shifts.
If the elected officials and board members agree to a major shake-up of fire services in South County, it won’t be implemented for several years. Morgan Hill’s current contract with Central Fire District won’t expire until 2014, and the city of Gilroy’s contract with the GFD’s bargaining unit expires in 2013. Plus, the steering committee hasn’t even yet skimmed the details of potential scenarios.
