By the numbers: Three Sonoma County volunteer fire companies
By the numbers: 3 Sonoma County volunteer fire companies
San Antonio Volunteer Fire Co.
Covers: 35 square miles south of Petaluma
Volunteers: 21, with up to 6 at each incident
Calls in 2016: 158, mainly along the county's southern Highway 101 corridor
Issues: Funding and a temporary station costing them more than $2,000 a month
'Without a permanent station you've got to worry about morale,' said Chief Ron Pomi. 'On a day off they want to go, study, do extra training, hang out. That's huge when you're talking volunteers, what they hang onto is the camaraderie.'
Knights Valley Volunteer Fire Co.
Covers: 54 square miles between Calistoga and Geyserville
Volunteers: 3, with up to 2 responding
Calls in 2016: 48 last year, mainly hazardous issues such as fallen trees, medical aids and crashes
Issues: Too few volunteers, funding and long response times. Fire officials are working to have Knights Valley become part of the Geyserville Fire District to improve support. They're also negotiating with Calistoga for additional support. Some residents have gone so far as to purchase insurance for medical helicopter transport, fearing lengthy response times.
'Our citizenry are greatly concerned,' said Steve Gould, a Knights Valley fire board member.
Bodega Volunteer Fire Co.
Covers: 16 square miles centered in Bodega near the Sonoma Coast
Volunteers: 15, with about 10 regular responders
Calls in 2016: 183, including medical aids, crashes and grass fires
Issues: Bodega's volunteer company's is doing well, with a new fire house in the heart of the tiny community and strong support for volunteers across generations.
'Our polenta feed is a tradition. People would go nuts if we didn't have a polenta feed,' said Bill Newman, a Bodega fire board member.
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