Who Does the District Serve The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District is the fire department serving residents living in the cities of Brentwood and Oakley and communities of Bethel Island Byron Discovery Bay ID: 574912
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Slide1
TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO SAVE OUR FIRE DISTRICT Slide2
Who Does the District Serve?
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection
District
is the fire department serving residents living in the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, and communities of Bethel Island, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, and Marsh Creek/Morgan Territory. The District is the first-responder to 9-1-1 calls when there is a fire or when someone needs emergency medical care.Slide3
Five Out of Eight Stations Have Closed
When
the
District was formed in November 2002, the district operated eight fire stations that served 96,000 residents. Due to the impact of the great recession in 2011, the
District
was forced to close five stations, leaving only
three stations open in 2015 to serve more than 113,000 residents.Slide4
Funding Resources Are Scarce
With the reduction in funding, the District not only had to close five stations, but it had to reduce the number
of
firefighters from 52 to
34
.In addition, the District’s financial reserves dwindled from $6 million to
$1
million
.Slide5
Population and Call Volume Continue to Increase
At the same time the District was forced to shutter stations and lay off personnel, the population
increased
by 17,500, bringing the total to 113,500
.
With
an increase in population comes an increased need for services. This
population
growth
has translated to
600 more calls a year
for
fire and emergency medical services.Slide6
Increased Response Times
Because of station closures and population growth,
response times have increased
to 10.5 minutes—5.5 minutes longer than when the brain begins to deteriorate after a person has stopped breathing. Increased response times mean that the
District’s
ability to
respond to fires and medical emergencies is significantly diminished. Slide7
The Time is NOW to Find a Solution
The population is
expected to grow by another 11,800 over the next 10
years. Unless fire stations are reopened, lives and properties will be imperiled. Practically speaking, there is only one way to improve levels of service for fire suppression and medical emergencies:
more revenue
.
The question is: what is the most equitable way to secure more revenue?
Slide8
Funding Options
General Purpose Tax (Utility
Users
Tax)
Parcel Tax
Special Benefit Assessment
Reallocation of Property
Tax
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