Progress report coming on Sonoma County'sfire services overhaul

Sonoma County officials overseeing a potential overhaul of rural fire services are poised to deliver the first interim report later this month, sharing the input they've received so far from fire officials, as well as preliminary data collected in the first five months of the broad effort.

The multiyear initiative, launched in September to address funding shortfalls, as well as rising costs for infrastructure, equipment and training, has been met with some confusion and controversy among the county's 40 firefighting agencies, who are seeking to position themselves for an uncertain future.

Some agencies, such as those in the north county, are seeking to consolidate departments to pool funding and other resources, while others are staking out their autonomy as a way to take in a greater share of property tax revenues — the main source of money that funds fire services.

'Right now, we're just collecting all the input we've received,' said Rebecca Wachsberg, a county spokeswoman. 'Our main question is how Sonoma County fire services will continue to operate.'

Since the Board of Supervisors approved the countywide study last fall, officials have held 11 community meetings and presented the county's plan to 31 fire agencies.

Officials are set to release findings from those hearings at a public meeting set for Jan. 26 at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, at 1351 Maple Ave.

Feedback has focused on concerns over fire agencies retaining local control, the lengthy timespan of the countywide effort and some departments potentially losing funding as a result of the project.

County officials said they expect to release some data being collected, including number of calls and response times for agencies, a breakdown of how many firefighters are paid and how many are volunteers, what firefighting equipment is available at each facility and information on where funding for fire agencies comes from and how it's spent.

Supervisors said the new venture would build on previous assessments of the county's patchwork of fire agencies, which together with five city departments handle about 80,000 emergency calls a year.

Wachsberg said the county will use public comments and fire officials' input to develop formal recommendations over the next year.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com.