Fire Service coverage is very
complicated in Siskiyou County. It is helpful to think of it in layers. In the first layer
are all the incorporated cities and towns. Municipalities provide all fire service within
city limits. The City Council determines how much of the total revenue that the town gets
from local taxes will go to providing fire service. Cities are Yreka, Dorris, Tulelake,
Montague, Weed, Fort Jones, Etna, Mt. Shasta and Dunsmuir.
Outside of the cities and tribal reservations, but in the county,
wildfire protection is divided into the State Responsibility Areas (SRAs,) the Federal
Responsibility Areas (FRAs,) and Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs.) California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) protects natural resources from wildfire in the SRA.
The US Forest Service (USFS) protects natural resources from wildfire in the FRA and
special districts, such as the Scott Valley Fire Protection District, provide wildfire
protection in the LRAs.
CDF stations, such as Fort Jones, are staffed during fire season to
combat wildfires. When available, CDF has supplied emergency and structural fire services
as a backup to local volunteer departments. The USFS will not engage in fighting interior
structural fires.
Within the County, several areas have formed their own Community
Services Districts and Fire Protection Districts. These are chartered self-governing
bodies with a board elected by the voters. They are separate from County government.
Districts have definite boundaries. Their primary responsibility is life and property fire
protection, although some also have responsibilities for wildfire protection. The voters
within these districts have agreed to tax themselves to provide fire service (structural
and wildland.) Examples include Scott Valley Fire Protection District, Lake Shastina
Community Services District, Hornbrook Fire District, etc. These all are volunteer fire
departments.
Think of the next layer as a huge slice of swiss cheese surrounding
all the towns and districts. First, I want to point out up front that the County has no
obligation to provide fire protection under State law. Providing any sort of fire
protection is a discretionary act.
Years ago, the voters established Community Service Area 4 (CSA4) for
structural fire service for the remainder of the county – the “cheese.”
Unfortunately, the voters failed to pass the companion measure that was intended to fund
it. This did establish the Board of Supervisors as the governing board for the service
area, but the total amount of taxes collected for any fire service in this huge area
amounts to only about $47,000 a year. Some of
this goes to pay for worker’s comp benefits for CSA4 fire companies. Alan Stovall
(CDF) has been appointed as the County’s Fire Warden. There is also an advisory
council to the Board of Supervisors that has been established for CSA4 .
Eventually, several clusters of voters decided to form Zones of
Increased Benefit (ZIBs.) Here, the voters drew a boundary and voted to tax themselves.
The Board of Supervisors contracts with a 501C(3) non-profit – such as a volunteer
“hose company,” to provide structural fire service for the amount collected
through ZIB taxes. Hammond Ranch, Pleasant Valley and Mt. Shasta Vista are examples of
ZIBs.
In the large remainder of the “cheese,” several small
communities have also formed volunteer “hose companies.” These are organized as non-profits and are funded
purely by donations and fundraisers. When formed, they have the approval of the Board of
Supervisors, but are not under County government. They have their own Boards of directors
as non-profits. Examples are: Klamath River, Seiad, Salmon River and Hilt.
Prior to the year 2000, the County made no additional; contributions
to “County Fire” (CSA4) beyond the very small amount collected in taxes. After
2000, a “Blue Ribbon” report recommended the funding of additional dispatchers
and a trainer to bring volunteers up to new state-mandated training levels. In addition,
the Board decided to participate in the Amador Plan, paying for year-round staffing of
seasonal CDF stations at Hornbrook and Weed to provide structural protection and emergency
response after fire season. (Next year, CDF will provide year round service at Weed and
Yreka, while the Board pays for one Amador station at Hornbrook and shares the cost of one
at McCloud.)
Unfortunately, this subsidy cannot continue. General Fund
contributions have escalated from $60,000 in 2001 to $455,854 in 2006. The partial
backfill in costs received through the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self
Determination Act will sunset this fall. The current funding structure for our fire
service is not stable or adequate. This is just one of the issues that faces the people of
Siskiyou County in providing fire services. |
