New consolidated fire department launching

With a member of each cities’ council now sworn in on the fire board, it enables the department to proceed with the final paperwork required before the agency begins officially operating next year, said Fire Chief John Healy.

“That was the most urgent next step to get that process going. So all those i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed,” said Healy, who already leads the three cities’ individual departments. “We’ve reached that milestone, we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’ve reached a milestone that’s a very big one.”

The agreement weights the cities’ expenses and voting based on current service levels with San Mateo at 60 percent, and both Belmont and Foster City at 20 percent. The premise of the JPA is to maintain existing service levels and stabilize cost savings achieved when the three began sharing administration and training several years ago by codifying a formal department.

Joe Goethals is representing San Mateo and was chosen as chair of the fire board, Warren Lieberman represents Belmont and is vice chair of the fire board, and Charlie Bronitsky represents Foster City. All three are current councilmembers in their respective cities, and the full councils of each previously voted to proceed with the new fire department.

“I think it’s a tremendous example of regional cooperation to serve the residents,” Goethals said. “It’s scary for everyone involved because it’s new and it is challenging. … But I see each agency really showing leadership to make this work and to be part of it for the future going forward.”

While other cities have merged departments in the past, not all of them have been a success. Belmont and San Carlos tried a merged department before it fell apart and led to employment issues for some firefighters who had to reapply for their jobs.

Taking lessons learned has been key in the process for developing the agreement between the three cities, said Lieberman, the only current Belmont councilman who was around during the San Carlos iteration of a shared fire agreement.

“Foster City, San Mateo and Belmont, we have extraordinarily strong working relationships right now and the fire groups are working very closely together. I’m not going to tell you everyone see things exactly the same way, but everyone is really committed to figuring out how we can make this work,” Lieberman said.

One provision in the agreement that aims to address a possible fallout should personalities clash is a multi-year dissolution process should any member agency wish to pull out of department. That means others could be elected to council during that waiting period or even run a campaign on a platform about it enabling voters to have a say.

But there’s still more work ahead before the consolidated department officially commences operations. Wednesday’s meeting outlined a work plan that includes notifying the Secretary of State’s Office and the county clerk of the department’s existence. It must also receive approval from the California Public Employees Retirement System, attain liability and workers compensation insurance, and adopt a budget for 2018-2020, according to Healy.

It must also complete lease agreements for the fire stations and determine asset transfers from the cities to the JPA. All existing fire stations will remain open and equipment kept up, Healy emphasized.

The budget for the new consolidated fire department is expected to range upwards of $47.5 million, which is relatively in line with what the cities are currently paying, he said.

The fire board will meet quarterly and Healy anticipates officially beginning operations at the start of next fiscal year in July 2018.

There have been concerns expressed by some members of the various cities’ labor unions, particularly in relation to pensions, benefits and scheduling. Healy said they’re continuing to work with labor representatives to assist the firefighters in the transition. Ultimately, he noted the merged department will provide opportunities for the firefighters to gain experience in a wider variety of skills ranging from water rescue, hazmat and wildland operations. But the primary goal, is to maintain or improve services to the community, he said.

“There’s strength in numbers,” Healy said. “We’re stronger as one.”

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