Bringing back a city fire department is one of four choices
facing the City Council Wednesday night as it decides whether to
continue negotiating a new contract with the Santa Clara County
Fire Department (SCCFD), beyond June 30, 2005.
Bringing back a city fire department is one of four choices facing the City Council Wednesday night as it decides whether to continue negotiating a new contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Department (SCCFD), beyond June 30, 2005.
The city staff report recommends that negotiations do continue but, faced with the possible addition of a significant annual addition to the current $3,744,977 cost of protecting the city from fire – 23 percent of the general fund – council will also look at alternatives. $1,400,000 has been reserved to meet the staffing suggestions in the Fire and Emergency Services Master Plan of 2002 for improving fire protection, if council decides to do so.
The four alternatives from the master plan are:
• reconstitute a city fire department
• pursue a single unified fire protection agency for urban areas in South Valley
• pursue a better deal for long-term services with another agency
• negotiate with the existing providers to extend the contract
The county is now proposing to extend the fire services contract through June 30, 2007 with a new arrangement for the final year of the 10-year – 1997-2007 – agreement. Beginning in July 2004, county fire wants the city to pay for one more firefighter for a total of seven on-duty staff, round the clock.
During the introduction of the master plan in February 2002, council was told why more firefighters were needed.
The first alarm response at the current staffing level is eight firefighters, not 12 as is recommended. The two city stations (El Toro and Dunne/Hill) are staffed with three firefighters 95 percent of the time. CDF, south of Tennant, has a minimum of two, but usually more.
This staffing delivers only nine firefighters (including a battalion chief) to only 40 percent of the city. Additionally, CALOSHA requires a “two in, two out” strategy – a rescue team must be on site before firefighters can enter a hazardous environment.
The total cost salary and equipment or just salary to the city, at the beginning, would be $4,645,500, the staff report said, and would be adjusted annually based on the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and increase in local property values. Also included in the master plan was a third fire station in the city’s center, so far unbuilt.
If the station becomes a reality during the extended contract, SCCFD would provide three, three-person companies to staff the station over 24-hours. County fire also proposes to continue the automatic aid agreement it has with the South County Fire Protection District (based at the California Department of Forestry station located on Monterey, south of Vineyard Boulevard.)
Because the two SCCFD stations – El Toro and Dunne/Hill – are not considered sufficient to respond to fire and medical emergency coverage over the entire city, the South County firefighters add a third arm when needed, which is frequently.
If the agreement is continued, the county fire proposal also wants South County to undertake hydrant and inspection responsibilities for the southern part of the city, a function SCCFD now performs. This also was suggested by the master plan.
City Manager Ed Tewes said staff has not actually discussed raising the Morgan Hill Fire Department from the ashes of budgetary crisis in the mid-1990s. At that time the crisis forced the city to transfer its firefighters to, sell its stations to and sign a contract with the SCCFD for fire protection.
The city also laid off one-third of the police department and shut down the recreation department. Both departments have since recovered and many of the Morgan Hill firefighters stayed with the county and are still working in the Morgan Hill El Toro and Dunne/Hill stations.
Repurchasing the two stations sold to the county in 1995 will also be on the table at Wednesday’s meeting. Recently approved development impact fees, charging developers for fire protection to new homes, should, the staff report said, provide the money to buy the stations back over the next 20 years.
Not owning the fire stations limits the city’s options in case SCCFD is no longer able to provide fire protection to Morgan Hill. The original agreement allows for the repurchase.
ca****@*************es.com
