Placer Supervisors approve annual CAL FIRE contract

The Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved its annual contract with CAL FIRE for fire protection services. Through the agreement, CAL FIRE, serving as Placer County Fire Department, provides fire prevention and protection, emergency medical service, hazmat, emergency incident response and dispatch services for 59,000 residents within a third of the county (475 square miles). According to Sarah Poindexter, a principal management analyst for the county, the contract will provide 65 full-time firefighters, including management and oversight of volunteer and resident firefighters operating out of Dutch Flat, Paige, Ophir, Thermalands, Dry Creek and Sheridan. Through the agreement, fire service is provided by seven engine companies operating in North Auburn, Ophir, Lincoln, Dry Creek and the Sunset Industrial area, as well as three Amador (CAL FIRE-owned) stations in Alta, Bowman and Colfax. Poindexter confirmed having services provided through the Amador stations reduces Placer's costs by leveraging state and local resources to maximize service. "The total cost to operate these three stations is approximately $653,000, which equates to a cost per station of roughly 20 percent of the average cost to run a career fire station," Poindexter said. "Essentially, this allows for full-time service to be provided in areas where it would not otherwise be fiscally feasible." The addition of two firefighter apparatus engineer paramedics and a firefighter II paramedic to meet the demand of growth and development are included in the contract. "These positions, in addition to utilizing existing relief pool positions, will allow for Station 70 in the Lincoln area and Station 100 in Dry Creek to enhance service levels to three people per engine with advanced life support capabilities to more closely align with an urban level of service," Poindexter said. The contract also includes the addition of a heavy equipment mechanic to meet demands of servicing Placer County Fire's fleet and the reclassification of an office technician to a personnel specialist to better align with administrative and human resource needs, Poindexter noted. The contract renewed the agreement for fire services for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, for an amount not to exceed $17,362,313.