Merced County California
County FD
October 19, 1999 - County FD Going Broke
Merced Fire Department going broke By PATTY GUERRA BEE STAFF WRITER (Published: Wednesday, October 13, 1999) MERCED -- The Merced County Fire Department will be out of money soon. For several years, county officials have known that the cost of running the department would eventually outpace the growth of the property taxes used to fund it, Fire Chief Candace Gregory said. This year, it happened. "We had about a $1 million shortfall," Gregory said. For the short term, the issue was addressed with stopgap measures, such as leasing equipment rather than buying it. Looking for a more permanent solution, the Board of Supervisors has approved a committee to study funding and other issues. Those issues include the location of the county's 20 stations, 19 of them staffed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection under a contract, but also affiliated with volunteer fire companies. Many of the stations have been in place for years, while the landscape around them has altered significantly. "We have over-coverage in some areas where the population is low and under-coverage where the population is high," Supervisor Deidre Kelsey said. Annexation has brought some county fire stations closer to city jurisdictions, Gregory said, while leaving other areas without nearby stations. Gregory said she put together a master plan that "took a really hard look at the current facilities and the way we're supplying fire protection for Merced County." Meanwhile, new federal regulations mean that the county must consider adding fire personnel. "They now require 'two in, two out,' which requires four firefighters to be on scene if an interior attack is required," Gregory said. Sometimes, the county sends out engines with only one firefighter, with volunteers expected to provide backup. One thing the department has in its favor is an excellent rapport with city departments throughout the county, she said. "I like to try to utilize the closest available resources," Gregory said. "For instance, a fire or traffic accident in southern Atwater may be closer to a county fire station than one run by the city. "One of the things we try to target throughout the county is that equal level of service." She said every area in the county should have a fire station no farther than five miles away. As far as the funding problem, Gregory said the answer is fairly straightforward: The department must cut costs -- and therefore services -- or raise revenue. Revenue generally comes in the form of some kind of a tax, which can be a tough sell to residents, she said. "One of the things this committee will be looking at is revenue increases," Gregory said. "They may or not be palatable. We're really interested in seeing how people feel about this." The county has provided temporary funding for the department's $7 million annual budget to ensure that there are no cuts in services for the next two years, Gregory said. But that's just to buy time to come up with some long-term solutions. The study committee approved by the Board of Supervisors will look at the master plan and funding options and return to the board by the end of the year with recommendations, Gregory said. "It may mean relocating or cutting some fire stations," Gregory said. "It may mean beefing up personnel. It may mean building new fire stations."
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