A fire merger which time has finally come

In 1996, the two cities who already share an elementary and high school district had eyed merging their fire departments. The rationale was simple — doing so would provide efficiencies and save both cities money. San Mateo was without a chief, firefighters supported it and even a trial run was successful. Ready to pull the trigger, Foster City officials had an about-face. Led by then councilwoman Eileen Larson, Foster City officials declared that the agreement would leave its citizens vulnerable. The winds of change were already blowing with the policy of dropped fire boundaries county-wide — meaning fire units would respond to the closest call despite city lines. But politics got in the way. Larson had a bone to pick with the city of San Mateo over the age-old dispute over a Foster City High School and later called herself "The little mouse that roared” when she led successful efforts to defeat a critical bond measure for improvements to the San Mateo Union High School District. While there are still lingering effects of that sentiment, that day is over.

The 1996 effort was shelved and Foster City Fire Chief Willie McDonald left for San Mateo. They have had separate fire departments since. In 2002, when McDonald left for the chief’s job in Fremont, there was a new interest in exploring a merger of sorts — this time the discussion was about either consolidation or a full merger between the San Mateo, Hillsborough and Millbrae fire departments. The economy was poor but it appeared the climate was not ripe for such a transformation. Sharing services like dispatch and training was one thing, but the logistics at that point seemed too big a hill to climb. The reasons were manifold, but key ones were the idea that fought-for contracts would have to be renegotiated and that mid-tier brass would have less potential to rise through the ranks. It was also a wholesale change and there was an idea that the dot-com bust and the economic fallout of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 wouldn’t last forever. Still, the groundwork was laid for discussion.

The recent downturn has a double whammy — not only did worker contracts escalate because of the dot-com boom and the sentiment toward police and fire after Sept. 11, but the housing price escalation originated with the dot-com boom reached stratospheric heights with the ease of credit and the nation’s thirst for another boom. When that came crashing down, cities that depended on property taxes to get their ballooning books straight were left with a drying stream of revenue.

No one can argue that we are in crisis mode. The headlines are numbing after a while. Layoffs, budget cuts, tax increases and nothing on the immediate horizon that promises anything near what the dot-coms and the housing booms could provide. Green jobs? Too hazy and speculative. Federal help? Not likely. State guidance? Only a fool would suggest as much. City officials now have little left with which to play. There’s only so many cuts we can take and there’s only so many new taxes we can afford. And so, the third way to balancing books  — consolidation — becomes more palatable and, indeed, necessary.

The city of San Mateo has long had a reputation for stability. It had a strong city manager in Arne Croce and his successor Susan Loftus is proving to be picking up where he left off.

And in recent months, it has played older brother (or sister) to struggling cities though it is financially struggling itself. It has offered a merger between its police department and that of Burlingame, though that discussion is on hold because (surprise!) the Burlingame City Council wished for more study. It has offered a plan to the city of San Carlos for fire services. And now it is taking a major step toward fire consolidation with the city of Foster City by agreeing to share Fire Chief Dan Belville and fulfilling a plan that should have happened years ago. Let’s hope politics stays out of the way this time.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com.