To: Board of Directors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: Memorandum of Understanding with the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District for Measure X Allocations to Support the South County Training Facility
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District to provide funding for the South County Training Facility of $1,100,000 annually, subject to the annual approval and allocation of funds to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (District) by the Board of Supervisors.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The MOU will be funded100% by Measure X funding. Annual funding renewals will be contingent on the Board of Supervisors’ annual allocation to the District for this purpose.
BACKGROUND:
On December 12, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved an annual ongoing allocation of $1,100,000 in Measure X funding to the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District in support of the South County Training Facility. These funds would be allocated annually, subject to the Board of Supervisors approval, to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District to distribute to the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District subject to the terms of the memorandum of understanding between the two fire protection districts.
San Ramon Valley Fire is currently constructing a training facility available to all fire agencies in Contra Costa County, subject to availability and scheduling. Currently, the only training center in the immediate area is the Contra Costa County Fire District training facility in Concord. This requires substantial travel times to Concord for all agencies, taking units out of their home area to train.
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Training Facility is home to the fire academy, which is in session once or twice per year. Multiple in-service training sessions occur on the Contra Costa County Fire training grounds, including multi-company drills and probationary testing for firefighters, engineers, and captains, in addition to other certified courses hosted at our facilities. The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District allows other agencies to use our training tower and grounds to the best of its ability.
Partnering with the San Ramon Fire Protection District for the use of its South County Training Facility in San Ramon, will alleviate the strain on the Contra Costa County Fire District facility. This, in turn, will open up more opportunities for training across the entire County's fire services, providing additional options and reducing scheduling conflicts.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
San Ramon Valley Fire would not receive the funding required for the training facility project.