Petaluma fire agency partnership successful

A resource sharing agreement between Rancho Adobe and Petaluma Fire has paid off so far.|

Seven months into a trial arrangement to share administrative services between the Petaluma Fire Department and the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District, leaders from both entities have called the deal a success. Now, the agency is tasked with identifying a path to future fiscal stability while exploring options to further cultivate efficiencies between departments.

A Sept. 23 “Fire and Suds” fundraiser will also be held at the Penngrove Park to raise funds to purchase rescue and emergency equipment for the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District, which has three stations and covers an 86-square-mile territory that encompasses areas including Penngrove and unincorporated parts of Petaluma.

In the wake of longtime Rancho Adobe Fire Chief Frank Treanor’s retirement in December, the Petaluma City Council and Rancho Adobe’s board of directors signed off on a year-long contract for Petaluma’s Chief Leonard Thompson to also helm the district.

Since March, Thompson, a 35-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department who has served as Petaluma’s chief for two years, has been taking stock of opportunities to share resources, like fire equipment and combined training sessions.

“Everything is going quite well – a lot better than we expected, really,” Thompson said.

Within the last month, he’s implemented a more organized physical fitness program for the department’s firefighters while also dropping boundaries between agencies. With the previous arrangement, engines first responded to calls that corresponded to their district boundaries, but now, the closest firefighters will ship out to the incident, regardless of those borders.

“That’s worked out well, it’s been really supportive,” he said.

Increased collaboration with training is also ongoing, and Thompson said that battalion chiefs from both departments are exploring ways to work together to reduce overtime costs. Other areas to contemplate will include fire prevention services, as Rancho Adobe is understaffed in that department, Thompson said.

Thompson said he spends about three partial days at the district’s stations each week while also attending board of directors meetings and filling in when necessary. The agreement will come back to decision makers in March, when discussions about a path forward will take place. The trial comes as Sonoma County’s leaders shape a vision for the future of streamlining its nearly 40 fire agencies and improving services.

Greg Karraker, the president of Rancho Adobe’s board of directors, was adamant about his agency remaining autonomous, despite ongoing consolidation measures. He praised Thompson’s leadership through the first leg of the agreement.

“We will still be a separate entity, absolutely,” he said. “I don’t want to create any uncertainty or doubt that we might go away. This would be an enhancement of services.”

The city department has a $13.37 million annual budget and employs 48 full-time personnel and five battalion chiefs across its three stations, which serve the city’s more than 60,000 residents.

Rancho Adobe, which was established in 1993 with the merging of Cotati and Penngrove’s fire protection districts, serves an estimated 25,000 residents. The district employs 17 full-time and 22 part-time firefighters, as well as three battalion chiefs. The district’s $4.1 million budget is funded largely by property taxes.

The district will compensate the city $51,162 for the first year of services, though City Councilman Chris Albertson said he’d like to see the district shell out more money to cover the estimated $25,000 cost of benefits for the chief, should another iteration of the agreement be considered. He also wants to ensure that the city and its residents are receiving the highest quality of service.

“I’m waiting to see what the report is and the things they’ve done and what achievements have been made,” said Albertson, who served as Petaluma’s fire chief from 2001 to 2008. “I’m looking forward to being educated …. It’s a deal breaker if they don’t want to pay what it costs to the city of Petaluma to pay a department head to be working elsewhere. They have to offset every last penny and I don’t see any reason for us to subsidize their fire protection.”

In addition to soon facing a decision about the ongoing agreement, Karraker said the district’s board is also shaping a five-year plan for the future, considering issues such as employee retention, wages and capital improvements.

An estimated $300,000 in annual funding from the Graton Rancheria casino that’s allocated by the Board of Supervisors will also need to be reexamined as the agreement is set to expire in three years and that future funding is uncertain, Karraker said.

Officials are in talks about additional revenue sources, Karraker said. In 2012, voters rejected Measure Z, a $60 parcel tax that would have padded the district’s budget.

Further sharing resources could also help cut down on costs to address an impending budgetary shortfall estimated to be as much as $400,000 by fiscal year 2020-2021 and potentially prompt service interruptions at stations if the current course isn’t altered, Karraker said.

Other measures, such as the second annual fundraiser with music and food, will help in the short term with yet-to-be-identified equipment needs. The estimated $4,500 raised at last year’s event was used to purchase water rescue equipment, such as a new boat and dry suits, said Battalion Chief Mike Weihman, who encouraged residents to support the district.

“It’s local music, local food and local beer,” he said. “And, it’s all for a good cause.”

(Contact Hannah Beausang at hannah.beausang@gmail.com.)

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