Agenda Item No: K.6
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: September 1, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: David Gassaway, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution 2026-185 FD Fire Prevention Reorganization
Approving a Reorganization of the Fire Prevention Bureau and Amending the Fiscal Year 2026 - 2027 Fire Department Position Control
Funding Source: N/A
Contact: John Sturdee, (707) 436-7228
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt resolution.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
The Fire Department is requesting a reorganization of the Fire Prevention Bureau to better align staffing with current operational and service delivery needs. Staff recommends eliminating the vacant fire prevention supervisor position and adding one fire inspector III/plans examiner and one fire inspector I position. The proposed reorganization will increase the Bureau's inspection and plan review capacity and will be accomplished within the Fire Department's existing budget through the reallocation of personnel funding.
DISCUSSION
The Fire Prevention Bureau currently has two fire inspectors responsible for conducting fire and life safety inspections on a variety of businesses, testing and inspecting fire protection systems such as alarms and hydrants, issu ing permits, identifying and addressing fire hazards, and providing fire prevention education to the public. Inspectors also support new development through field inspections and perform vegetation management activities during fire season. The breadth and volume of these responsibilities place significant demands on the Bureau's existing inspection staff, limiting capacity, and impacting the timeliness of services provided to residents, businesses, and the development community.
Staff recommends reorganizing the Bureau by eliminating the fire prevention supervisor position and adding one fire inspector III/plans examiner and one fire inspector I, with the fire marshal providing direct supervision of the Bureau. The proposed structure will increase field ins pection capacity, add dedicated plan review expertise, improve turnaround times and customer service, and better align staffing resources with the Bureau's current workload and operational needs.
The reorganization will be accomplished through the realloca tion of existing personnel funding and will not increase the Fire Department's overall budget.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The proposed Fire Prevention Bureau reorganization will be accomplished within the Fire Department's existing fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget and will not require an increase in General Fund appropriations. The elimination of the Fire Prevention Supervisor po sition will provide approximately $240,179 in salary and benefit savings. The addition of one fire inspector I and one fire inspector III/plans examiner is estimated to cost $112,536 and $146,391, respectively.
To fully offset the cost of the new positions, staff also recommends eliminating $20,000 budgeted for part-time office assistant support within the Administration Division and reallocating those funds from Administration (10155100) to Fire Prevention (10155300). Collectively, these changes result in an estimated net savings of $1,252 and no increase to the Fire Department's overall FY 2026-2027 adopted budget.
PUBLIC CONTACT/ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDATION
N/A
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
The City Council may choose not to adopt the resolution, in which case the Fire Department will not have the ability to hire an additional fire inspector I.
COORDINATED WITH
Finance Department, City Manager’s Office, and Human Resources Department
STAFF CONTACT
Taylor Armour, Fire Administration Division Manager
(707) 428-7593
[email protected]
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 2: Proposed Resolution