Very sad news today as the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD) has closed three of its stations and reduced two stations to part-time as a result of voters rejecting Measure Q. In the past, ConFire Chief Daryl Louder has said the decision on which stations would close was based on best serving the entire district.
County supervisors voted unanimously to close the stations last month after voters soundly rejected Measure Q, the fire district’s temporary $75 annual property tax that would have raised about $17 million per year, enough to keep all 28 fire stations open.
The closed stations include:
- Station 4 in South Walnut Creek
- Station 16 in Lafayette
- Station 12 in the Mountain View area of Martinez
- Station 22 of Concord and Station 11 out of Clayton, will share a crew
Like in East County, I’d expect residents serviced by CONFIRE to see an increase in response times due to reduced service levels—remember, in East Contra Costa, we have experienced about a minute increase in response times. The big closure from East Contra Costa standpoint is the Clayton Station which helps out on Morgan Territory Road area which should be the biggest impacted from our view in East County should there be an emergency.
This whole thing stinks as public safety should be the top priority to voters but instead the phony rhetoric put out by the Contra Costa Times and Contra Costa Taxpayers Association will ultimately cost lives, cost people their homes, and increase pain for folks seeking services in an emergency. The lies and misinformation put out makes me angry and you should feel the same way because the public deserved an honest debate—not be attacked over an entirely different debate that didn’t apply to Measure Q. Next time, lets hope voters look past rhetoric and focus on facts.
Here is a statement from Vince Wells, Fire Captain/Paramedic, Local 1230 President on today’s closures.
As of 0800 this morning, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD) has closed 3 fire stations and has reduced two of them to part time stations shared by one crew. The closed stations include Station 4 in South Walnut Creek, Station 16 in Lafayette, and Station 12 in the Mountain View area of Martinez. Station 22 of Concord and Station 11 out of Clayton, will share a crew. The plan is that Station 22 will staff Station 11 during the hours of 2:00PM to 8:00PM Monday through Saturday, 11 will be closed on Sundays.
Since 2008, the CCCFPD has decreased from staffing 30 engine companies 24 hours a day, down to 24 engines. These closures have decreased the daily staffing levels of having 90 firefighters on duty 24 hours a day, down to 72. This service reduction is the result of the significant loss of revenue to the Fire District due to the decrease in property tax revenue. In an effort to replace the revenue lost, the Fire District placed Measure Q on the ballot. This was a $75.00 a year parcel tax that would expire in 7 years. Despite our efforts to get the message out of what the results of its failure would be, the measure failed. It received a majority vote, but the 2/3’rds threshold required for a parcel tax was not met.
The impact of these service reductions will result in longer response times and a decrease in resources in the case of multiple incidents or any major emergency event.
We fire fighters will continue to provide the best services possible under these circumstances. We have worked with the Fire District to come up with ways to minimize the impacts on our ability to provide quality service to the communities we have sworn to protect, and will continue to do so. We are hopeful that the economy will continue to improve and that we will be able to re-open these fire stations sometime in the near future.
Vince Wells, Fire Captain/Paramedic, Local 1230 President
7 comments
I wonder if people really want the Government to live within its “reduced” means, if they knew the cost to their personal safety….or is that just a catch phrase that Kris Hunt, Dave Roberts, Dan Borenstein, Wendy Lack and John Gonzales wanted us all to swallow?
In this case it appears there is just not enough current funding for the services that the community requires, since property tax revenues dwindled over the last few years.
Be it $198.00 or $75.00, it’s beginning to sound like a small price to pay in comparison to what we have saved overall in the last few years on our property taxes.
I have heard the next round of station closures is due to hit in another 6 months! I’ll bet the insurance companies are already lining up to raise premiums. Go figure.
Maybe the county can step in and correct the massive problem the supervisors and unions have created. I also do not think that five people ruined the fire districts. The people voted and spoke. Grow up B-wood, you whine like a child in tantrum. Insurance companies will not raise premiums abruptly as they are decided by overall losses not because a fire station closed. Where do these people get any common sense? The school system is really turning out some naive people.
@ Joe “wannabe” Firefighter,
A couple of insights for you to ponder…
1. You suggest that the “County” should step in and correct the problem that the Supervisors (and unions) have created. Say what? Do you not realize that the “County” is goverened by the Supervisors that you find some un-named fault with? It has been repeatedly ponied out as fact that the fire districts are suffering from revenue loss directly created from the economic crash and bursting housing bubble which is not remotely tied to any actions from the county, supervisors or unions. You clearly missed the MARK.
2. The only five people i recall who greatly contributed to the “massive” dilemma we find ourselves in today by misleading the voters are Kris Hunt, Dave Roberts, Dan Borenstein, Wendy Lack and John Gonzales. You want to talk about whiners? I just supplied you with a list of the 5 biggest ones. You can MARK those five off your list and go from there.
3. You spewed, The people voted and spoke”. Well in case you missed it, the people were also told there would be consequences to a no vote. Kris Hunt, Dave Roberts, Dan Borenstein, Wendy Lack and Johnny, wanted you to believe that it was all a bluff. Guess who they left holding the bag? Haven’t heard much from them these days have we? Looks like they were all off the MARK.
4. You then highlighted your very own ignorance by actually proclaiming “Insurance company’s will not raise premiums abruptly as they are decided by overall losses not because a fire station is closed”. How long did it take you to make that up? I find that statement a benchmark of your lack of credibility. Looks like someone didn’t do any fact checking and one more black MARK on your credibility rating.
MARK my words, you remain one of a dwindling group that buys into your own bullshit. You have drifted so far off the reservation that you aren’t even entertaining anymore.
I only have one question for you; Aren’t you tired of being wrong? You certainly have been told enough. It’s time for you to grow up and realize just how deeply you are into denial.
P.S. You are no firefighter, do yourself a favor and don’t pretend to be. You have far greater personal issues to deal with.
bwood, I guess your small mind can’t comprehend the responsibility of the county who are the management team of the money and direction for the fire district. Just like the principal at the Brentwood School and the aids that watched what went on yet did nothing, the same goes for the fire district. Management gets paid too much money to let these things go so far out of control.
The lack of responsibility for the job people are paid to do has lost it’s shine in today’s selfish society. So instead of being small minded, maybe grow up with an adult response.Your childish remarks only reveal youre mentality.It is difficult to take you seriously.Even so bwood, I would still rescue you in a needed situation. Thats just they way I am. Have a nice day.
You are such a fake Capt. and I would urge you to look in the mirror when you are using the Brentwood Union School District as an example to compare to fire administration. You are such a f—king idiot its not even funny. You are the one who needs to grow up and act like an adult. I hope Burk reveals you idenity. You are probably one of those Discovery Bay wierdos who files public records request after public records request for no reason. You are one of those do as I say, not as I do type of people.
“Joe”,
My small mind? That’s funny! At least I don’t pretend to be a hero or a member of a profession that I’m not. In my book this clearly makes you a disturbed and dysfunctional individual. It is a pattern in your behavior, but your denial prevents you from getting real help. You are doomed to living out your pathetic life feeling “misunderstood” instead of rationalizing your ignorance which is enabled by your delusions & denial.
Reality sucks for you.
The county is not the “management team” nor do they provide the direction…. or haven’t you been paying attention? The fire department is managed and directed by the fire chief and his admisistration/staff. The “money” to which you refer is a pass through, via a prop. 13 percentage of collected property taxes. (You really haven’t been paying attention).
If you were actually a fireman then you would have been aware of the deliberations on this issue either in person, via your union, or on t.v. Your posts, show you didn’t.
Your shallow attempts at portraying yourself as someone your not makes it impossible for anyone to take you seriously. I see you as a little man hiding behind a keyboard with a pent up frustration due to your own shortcomings.
Come on “Joe”, grow up, quit being a troll and stop pretending to be someone your not. Its time for you to come to grips and realize that your just not that clever.
As a parent whose children attend Loma Vista (the school you are mentioning) as well as the wife of a Con Fire employee I am a little shocked by your statements. Did you not attend the union meeting where you are your brotherhood agreed to take a deduction in pay in order to help the county with the budgetary problems? Did you not attend the union meeting when all of this discussion was going on for the past couple of years? I just don’t see how Local 1230 caused this issue? I do see that property taxes were substantially reduced, mine went down by half when my house went from a value of $600k to $165k. Where a fire department operates on 90% of Property 13 tax dollars, it is apparent that there is a revenue problem. Yes, there are issues that need to be addressed regarding pensions, but when my household puts over 25% of a paycheck into a pension obligation, I feel like we are doing our part. And with the payroll tax back hitting us….there goes another $1200 between myself and my husband.
As far as you comparing the Fire Administration to the fact that the Loma Vista Principal failed in her reporting duty and essentially in her core duties to protect the kids that attend this school is wrong at the core. The FD wasn’t hiding anything, everyone knew there was a revenue problem, no one wanted to pay extra to fix it.
Comparing this to child abuse on a 5 year old – not cool.
(USAA, our insurance carrier called us to notify us that they will be re-evaluating our policy and wanted to know the distance of the nearest fire station)
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