It’s official: the Monterey and Pacific Grove fire departments will merge Dec. 16.The Monterey City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve joining the two departments. The Pacific Grove council voted 6-1 vote in favor of the merger last Wednesday.
The vote was greeted by a round of applause from the audience, which included many blue-uniformed firefighters from both departments.
“This has been a long road,” Monterey City Manager Fred Meurer said of the culmination of 3½ years of discussion, study and negotiations.
Monterey Fire Chief Sam Mazza said the department will grow immediately from 54 to 67 firefighters. Monterey will not assume liability for past retirement earned by Pacific Grove firefighters through the state Public Employees Retirement System, but will begin paying their retirement benefits Dec. 16.
Those costs will be passed on to Pacific Grove as part of the merger agreement that calls for it to reimburse Monterey for fire and other public safety services.
Existing Pacific Grove firefighters will become city of Monterey employees, and Monterey will provide fire and emergency medical services to Pacific Grove by contract. Pacific Grove will pay Monterey $3.4 million for the first year of services.
West Coast 911 firefighter news – Written by Monterey County Herald
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