Bonny Doon residents upset by the refusal to allow the small mountain community to split off from County Fire services and create an independent fire department are seeking a rematch with authorities.
Supporters of an independent fire station in Bonny Doon have asked the Local Agency Formation Commission to reconsider the decision made in September to deny the proposal.
Residents asking commissioners to change their minds say staff reports recommending against the change were “unsubstantiated” and the seven commissioners had “insufficient information or knowledge” of the issue when casting their 4-3 vote in opposition of the proposal.
A new public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
“Some of us in the community think that if the commission had more information, it might have made a difference,” Empire Grade resident Donita Springmeyer said. “There was no chance for us to rebut things that were said. That could have made a difference in the votes.”
Bonny Doon residents have been lobbying to break off from County Fire services, which are provided by Cal Fire, for more than two years.
The nearest Cal Fire station to Bonny Doon is north of Davenport on Swanton Road.
Some residents say they need fire-fighting independence to provide faster response times in the rural community, and improve training for volunteer firefighters and obtain better equipment.
They say a perfect example of why their own fire department is needed was demonstrated in this summer’s Martin Fire, which tore through the area destroying 500 acres and three homes. They said they were put at greater risk because Cal Fire officials did not immediately dispatch Bonny Doon volunteer firefighters to the wildfire.
The fire department would be paid for with a new property tax.
However, commissioners with the Local Agency Formation Commission agreed with Executive Director Pat McCormick’s view that splitting Bonny Doon from the county would impair fire coverage in other parts of rural Santa Cruz County, which is protected by four Cal Fire stations.
A new fire department in Bonny Doon would cause an estimated $365,000 annual loss to the County Fire budget, McCormick said.
In addition to degrading fire coverage in other areas, McCormick said operating a Bonny Doon fire department would cost more than $600,000 a year, an amount that could be hard for the small community to sustain.
McCormick suggested that Cal Fire establish a new station in Bonny Doon, a cheaper solution that he says would satisfy the residents’ desire for their own department while preserving fire protection across the county.
“I certainly agree that if we can provide better fire protection in Bonny Doon, then we should,” he said.
The new hearing to reconsider the proposal is a process to prevent the issue from ending up in court, McCormick said. Commissioners rarely consider appeals.
Jim Rapoza, chair of the LAFCO commission who voted against a Bonny Doon fire department, said there’s no way of knowing if he’ll change his mind.
West Coast 911 firefighting news source – Story by Santa Cruz Sentinel
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With the decisions we make come built in and unanticipated consequences. Choosing where we live brings some unique consequences. Emergency services is one of them. One thing we should find out about the emergency services, their levels of service provided and normal response times. Wherever we choose to live we can be an active part of supporting and making these services better. One of the best was is to get the best understanding you can and support these programs and become an advocate of bettering the services. Don’t think by demanding something it will happen. A good example is Baldwin Lake Fire Department. They are forming in conjunction with San Bernardino County Fire as an adjunct to them. The major deciding factor was what the folks living in the area considered unacceptable response times. They had and found a solution to that problem.
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