Quick Take:
As the Felton Fire Protection District continues moving towards a shared services agreement with Cal Fire, it has set up a more direct line of communication with the Zayante Fire Protection District to notify it when Felton knows it cannot respond to calls.
The Felton Fire Protection District continues seeking ways to stay afloat amid financial turmoil and staffing shortages, and its board of directors set up a more direct line of communication with the Zayante Fire Protection District to request coverage if needed. At the board’s Monday evening meeting, it approved this arrangement with Zayante.
The Zayante station is just two miles away from the Felton station, and the two protection districts have set up a “reciprocal service agreement,” which means the two districts will compensate each other when one needs to cover calls for the other. Importantly, the district plans to set up a new, direct line of communication with Zayante to notify the district when Felton knows it cannot respond to calls because of inadequate staffing. Board member Norm Crandell likened the agreement to a “bat phone.”
Felton will also pay Zayante the same rate that its volunteers make per call, which is between $12 to $20 per call, depending on position and rank, and vice versa if Zayante needs Felton to cover any calls.
“It basically just heightens their awareness, so if there’s any pre-planning they need to do, they have time to do that,” said board chair Jim Anderson.
The goal is for this agreement to provide extra coverage for the Felton Fire Protection District as and if it moves towards a shared service agreement with Cal Fire — a contract that consolidates or combines services between the jurisdictions. In recent years, the Felton Fire District has struggled to carry out daily operations, largely due to difficulties finding volunteer workers. However, Anderson said that there has not been any movement on that front — but that the district is ready when the time comes.
“As soon as they’re ready, we’ll sign their agreement,” he said.
The district, which is made up solely of the city of Felton, is historically a volunteer district. That means it’s staffed mostly by trained volunteers who work with the professional staff. It currently has just two full-time fire captains and two full-time firefighters. Volunteers are paid per call, and would usually pick up the overnight shifts. However, the district has had a difficult time finding volunteers from the small pool it has to choose from, jeopardizing nighttime coverage.
On top of entering a shared services agreement, the district is now drafting a money-raising local ballot measure, possibly a bond measure or parcel tax, to support the Felton Fire Protection District’s own paid staffing without further outside assistance. However, a ballot measure is likely a year out.