New Sonoma County Fire District emerges amid reshuffling of departments

Sonoma County’s newest fire district is making its debut Thursday, combining four agencies into one large district circling Santa Rosa, and spanning from Windsor to the Napa County line.

The Sonoma County Fire District, run by Chief Mark Heine, becomes the county’s second largest in territory and population and the second busiest, behind Santa Rosa Fire in both cases.

“I’m excited we get to lead what I hope will be more change in this county,” Heine said.

Gone, technically, are the decades-old Rincon Valley, Windsor, Mountain and Bennett Valley fire departments. But not completely.

Station signs and fire engine logos depict the new shared name but include the geographical locations, a nod to local ties and traditions.

“Community members will see it’s still Bennett Valley, still Bennett Valley folks here, still the community involvement,” said fire engineer Travis Browne.

The new fire district represents the most successful effort in a long-running move to modernize the county’s far-flung and antiquated fire services network, largely through consolidation of adjoining agencies.

The Sonoma County Fire District includes 75,000 residents and covers 160 square miles, or about a tenth of the county. It will be supported in large part by about $180 per year from property owners, which is a significant hike for those in Rincon Valley and Mountain. The money will pay for improvements including more firefighters and eventual upgrades long-overdue at Rincon Valley stations.

“I think it’s fantastic. I don’t look at it as the end,” said third-generation Rincon Valley firefighter, Capt. Fred Leuenberger. He said the consolidation is saving Rincon Valley’s department, which saw its financial struggles exacerbated by the 2017 firestorm that burned thousands of homes in the district.

“We were on life support almost,” Leuenberger said. “We got an organ transplant.”

The new agency has a preliminary budget of $13 million, with a workforce of just over 50, including some new spots. Filled leadership posts include the chief, a deputy chief and four battalion chiefs.

The $180 parcel tax for fire services was based on the current amount paid in the old Windsor fire district. The amount is based on a 6-cent per-square-foot cost for a 2,000-square-foot home plus a flat $65. Larger properties and those with multiple structures will pay more, Heine said.

It’s a steep increase for Mountain property owners who currently pay nothing for fire services and Rincon Valley residents who pay $36 annually. It’s virtually a wash for many Bennett Valley residential owners, Heine said.

Firefighter salaries will be based on Rincon Valley fire’s current range of $5,386-$6,280 per month. That’ll nearly double the pay of what the handful of Bennett Valley firefighters were getting and bring a smaller raise to the former Windsor firefighters.

The additional firefighters will add a third position to engines in Windsor and Bennett Valley. Rincon Valley already runs three on an engine, which aligns with industry standards for safety and improved service. In the Mountain area - the hills north of Santa Rosa - paid firefighters will work there during worrisome fire and storm weather to help the volunteer crew, Heine said.

Heine, 55, of Petaluma, was a longtime Novato firefighter and chief there for five years before being hired in 2018 as chief of the Windsor and Rincon Valley fire agencies.

He has spearheaded the effort to bring Mountain and Bennett Valley into the ongoing move to combine Windsor and Rincon Valley districts. The plan is backed by the Board of Supervisors, which for years has wanted fewer fire departments for improved efficiency. The consolidation gives Sonoma County about three dozen agencies - still too many, according to fire officials countywide, but down from more than 50 agencies years ago.

Final bureaucratic approval for the new department came Wednesday in a unanimous vote of the Sonoma County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, which oversees government service boundaries. The agency had approved the plan but had to wait 30 days to give property owners a chance to oppose the idea. The opposition totaled about 100 letters, mostly regarding concerns for the cost and complaints of a lack of notice. The opposition fell far short of the 4,500 protests, or one-quarter of the overall property owners, needed to force the issue to a public vote, said Mark Bramfitt, LAFCO’s executive director.

Heine’s consolidation efforts have drawn the attention of other fire agencies interested in possibly joining the district. Officials from the Russian River Fire Protection District, which hasn’t had a chief for 15 months, are talking with Heine regarding a contract for a chief and administrative services, with an opening to later join the district, Heine said.

Regional consolidation is moving forward in other areas of the county, as well. Along the north coast, Fort Ross, Cazadero and Timber Cove volunteer firefighters are seeking to join together their large, rural fire jurisdictions and have asked for help to start the process, Bramfitt said.

North county agencies of Geyserville, Cloverdale and Knights Valley are pushing toward joining forces, and on the east side of the county, Sonoma Valley, Schell-Vista, Mayacamas, Glen Ellen and Kenwood fire officials also are talking about consolidation.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.