Special City Council/
Town Hall Meeting
September 26, 2023
6:00pm
FUTURE OF THE SEBASTOPOL
FIRE SERVICE
Sebastopol Fire Dept. Volunteer Firefighters
Welcome - Introductions
Neysa Hinton, Mayor
Jill McLewis, Councilmember
Jack Piccinini, Interim Fire Chief
Larry McLaughlin, City Manager/City
Attorney
Mary Gourley, Assistant City Manager/City
Clerk
PURPOSE – WHY ARE WE HERE TONIGHT?
TO BE TRANSPARENT TO HEAR FROM OUR
COMMUNITY
TO PRESENT
INFORMATION AND
ANSWER QUESTIONS
NEXT STEPS FROM
CITY COUNCIL
GROUND RULES
Be respectful
Make your comments brief and on point to
the agenda
Manage emotion
No argumentative discussions amongst
attendees
Stay on the subject
Do not interrupt other speakers
Opportunity
Greater Efficiencies
Greater Economy of Scale
Capacity
Why Do Governmental
Agencies Explore
Alternative Delivery
Options
The Why- Sebastopol Fire Dept.
Why have we been discussing our Sebastopol Fire Department for the last 5+ years! For the last several years, fire services has been of concern for the City of Sebastopol and we have been keenly aware of the struggles currently facing the fire department. With the many changes facing today’s fire department, such as retirement of Fire Chief Braga, staffing/loss of volunteers and volunteer recruitment, funding, vehicles, equipment, infrastructure; trend of increased response times, trouble getting the truck out the door or recruitment of volunteers to name a few, it is critical that a comprehensive long-range vision toward the future of fire services is established whether it is status quo or other potential actions.
To turn around the trend and come up with solutions to reduce call times which were increasing Expand paid staffing coverage (weekday volunteer shifts becoming more difficult and going unfilled due to trend of locals working out of town). Longer response to calls relying more heavily on neighboring fire departments.
Increase volunteer pool. Community volunteers trending down (Est at -27%) and of the volunteers 2/3rd join as volunteer to get experience in fire industry, moving to applying to other Dept’s within 2-3 years. Current core volunteers are aging.
Small Sebastopol City budget has under funded the fire department which lacks large revenue sources to support Fire Dept and the level needed for community. Aging equipment and Fire vehicles.
Trend in Sonoma County to consolation for fire departments and agencies. Over 20 so far
FIRE DEPARTMENT
BACKGROUND
Volunteer Fire Department Since 1902
Career Fire Chief, 2 Fire Engineers and a
.5 FTE Senior Administrative Assistant
30+/- Volunteers
Full-Service FD responding to over 1325
call for service per year
SFD is 14% of current budget. Standard
expenditure is 20%.
Highly Trained and well equipped.
What Services the Sebastopol Fire
Department Provides
Fire calls, accidents, medical calls through 911, outside agency fires, etc Manage the EOC
Provides mutual aid to neighboring fire districts.
Water rescue – serving Sebastopol and mutual aid
Regional resource for large animal rescue – specialized training. Regional resource for confined space and building collapses rescue operations Support statewide response to wildfires
FIRE DEPARTMENT
CHALLENGES
Station upgrades
Staffing model is strained
Apparatus replacement plan
Meeting training demands
Equipment replacement and
upgrades
Plan for long-term funding
Current Status
1 authorized Fire Chief
2 authorized Fire Engineer positions
.5 FTE Senior Administrative Assistant
1 Type-3 fire truck on order to be delivered within next 12 months.
1 Type-1 fire truck budgeted to be delivered within next 24 months.
From 18 volunteers in 2022 to approximately 30 total volunteers as of today.
County sales tax measure on March 2024 ballot.
Firehouse Costs
Architecture Design Phase ~$100k
Construction $2-5 Million
Modular Building $150,000
Countywide Fire Prevention & Response Tax
Measure
March 5th 2024
www.sonomachiefs.org
A pivotal measure that would infuse annual money into the city for fire services.
1.8% of annual tax revenue + $100K annually to offset current expenses related to dispatch and various operational costs.
Maintenance of effort requirement- Maintain baseline operating budget for 2021/2022.
Total tax expected $60 Million annually resulting in $1 Million for City of Sebastopol.
Timeframe to receive funds January 2025.
For 24/7 staffing & capital improvements an additional tax mechanism could be needed.
Reorganization with neighboring fire
district. Process explained…
Apply for Municipal Services Review (MSR) with neighboring fire district. o Potential cost of $10k.
o Timeframe fluctuates depending on backlog of requests. Identified district & City of Sebastopol agree upon a re-organization. o Financial & capacity review required
o LAFCO oversees negotiations.
Total timeframe. Estimated to be approximately: 24-28 months. Sebastopol property owners would then have the same parcel tax as the district it decides to reorganize with.
Reorganization needs to be mutually beneficial for both departments. Both need to be financially sound with staffing and resources and equitable. Governance will be overseen by the combined district board which consists of members of the full district.
Reorganization subject to a protest period.
WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?
Remain a City Governed Fire Department.
Reorganize with a neighboring Fire District.
Enter into a Joint Powers Authority– 2 agencies agree to provide services & enter into an agreement.
Enter into limited contract for shared services.
Shared volunteers, administrative functions, Battalion Chief coverage.
Administrative oversight agreement.
Enter into a contract with another agency for full delivery of Fire Emergency Response Services estimated at $2.5 mil.
All Options are
good and exist
in Sonoma
County and
throughout the
state
The best option
is based on the
interest of the
policy makers in
determining what
is right for the
community
Continue to Explore
Staffing model: 24/7 or 16 hour shifts.
Fire station upgrades to accommodate 24/7.
Funding for equipment and necessary apparatus
upgrades to meet current safety standards.
How to improve response times.
Fire service long-term sustainability in a condition
of increased climate uncertainty.
Process
Questions from Council
Answers for questions
received in advance
Public comment/questions2 minutes
Response to public
comment/questions
Council Discussion