Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

ConFire Chief Jeff Carman named state Fire Chief of the Year

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Fire Chief Jeff Carmen (center) is joined by County Supervisors and members of ConFire staff on Oct. 9, 2018. Photo by Daniel Borsuk

Also honored by County Supervisors

Fire Chief Carman

By Daniel Borsuk

During their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors honored Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Carman for receiving the Ronny Jack Coleman Fire Chief of the Year Award from the California Fire Chiefs Association (CalChiefs).

Carman was presented the award at the association’s annual conference in Sacramento on Friday morning, Sept. 28.

The California Fire Chiefs Association established the award in 2000 to recognize an outstanding member of the state fire service leadership community. The award recognizes a single individual who is a role model for all fire chiefs in the state as demonstrated through leadership and management locally, regionally and statewide.

“The prestigious Ronny Jack Coleman Fire Chief of the Year Award recognizes our member who is a role model for all fire chiefs statewide,” said Jeffrey Meston, President Elect, CalChiefs and Chief, South Lake Tahoe Fire Department. “And, owing to his leadership, and the accomplishments of his district under that leadership, I am pleased to award Jeff Carman this year’s Fire Chief of the Year award on behalf of CalChiefs.”

Carman leads a 400-member ConFire in providing fire and emergency medical response to more than 1 million people in a 304-square-mile area in Contra Costa County.

During his nearly five-year tenure, the chief and his staff have reopened four stations that were closed during the recession, staffed the fire rescue boat, and improved overall fire response times. They also planned and executed implementation of the Offices of Emergency Services Type 2 Hazardous Materials Response team, and developed and expanded a joint venture with the Sheriff’s Office helicopter program for short-haul rescue and firefighting.

Chief Carman and his staff were also created a unique 911 emergency ambulance system called Alliance, a private-public partnership with AMR, which supervisors credited for saving tax dollars and providing improved response times.

“I’m honored to accept this award on behalf of the men and women of our district whose dedication, professionalism and selfless service have made all our accomplishments possible these last five years.,” said Jeff Carman, Fire Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “I’m also thankful for the leadership and vision of our county administrator and his staff, and our incredibly supportive fire board members who have, together, created the collaborative environment essential to our success on behalf of the citizens of Contra Costa County.”

Supervisor Karen Mitchoff said Carman has been a “strong voice on statewide mutual aid” at a critical time of large, widespread fires.

“I really appreciate the leadership you have demonstrated, to bring ConFire out of a very challenging situation,” Supervisor Candace Andersen said.

Carman added, “I’m eager to continue our work here, and with my fellow fire chiefs, across the state, to challenge the status quo and continue to drive change in how we deliver better and more effective fire and EMS services to the citizens of our state.”

About Contra Costa County Fire Protection District

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District is a recognized fire service leader providing fire and emergency medical services to more than a million people across a 304 square-mile area, in and around the 20 cities of Contra Costa County, California. In 2017, the District responded to nearly 74,000 fire and EMS emergencies and provided expert medical care in the conduct of more than 75,000 ambulance transports. The District with 25 fire stations and nearly 400 employees is dedicated to the preservation of life, property and the environment.

About California Fire Chiefs Association (CalChiefs)

CalChiefs is a professional association whose vision is to be the voice of the California fire service covering the spectrum of fire and EMS delivery, actively engaging in legislation that affects service delivery throughout the state, including national issues. CalChiefs membership includes leaders at all levels from the more than 800 municipal fire service agencies and fire districts (paid, combination & volunteer), state and federal government agencies, and corporate fire brigades operating in the state of California and associated colleagues from fire service support organizations and vendors. 

Allen Payton and the Richmond Standard contributed to this report.

 

Marsh Creek Road still closed due to Marsh Fire in Clayton

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The Marsh Creek fire consumes a house on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Screenshot from KTVU Fox2 News report.

July 26, 2018, Clayton, CA – An evacuation order is still in place for Marsh Creek Road between Gill Drive and Morgan Territory Road. Marsh Creek Road between Gill Drive and Dear Valley Road is open to residents. You must show valid identification to enter. We do not have an estimated time to reopen those sections at this time.  Please take alternative routes to avoid this area. 

The Evacuation Centers are still open in Clayton and Brentwood:

Clayton Library Meeting Room – 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton CA

Brentwood Community Center – 35 Oak Street, Brentwood, CA

For more information on the Marsh fire, please go to http://www.cococws.us/ 

Voters shrink East Contra Costa Fire board from 9 to 5 in special election

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Low-income housing in the county “stagnates”

By Daniel Borsuk

Voters in the financially challenged East Contra Costa Fire Protection District convincingly decided in a mail ballot election concluded on March 6, to shrink the number of board members from nine appointed directors to five elected directors.

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors certified the election results as presented by Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Joseph Canciamilla as a consent item at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting.

Of the 64,351 ballots mailed to registered voters residing in the ECCFPD, county election officials received and tallied 11,772 ballots or 18.29 percent of the total ballots mailed.

Of those ballots returned and counted, 90.46 percent or 10,605 votes were in favor of changing the board from nine chosen board members to five elected directors.  Only 1,119 votes or 9.54 percent of the of the ballots returned wanted to retain the present setup of nine appointed ECCFPD board directors.

Results of the special election means those wanting to serve on the ECCFPD board of directors will have to run for office in the November 6 general election.  Winners will be sworn into office on December 3.

The ECCFPD board presently has four directors appointed by the Brentwood City Council, three directors appointed by the Oakley City Council and two appointed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

By transitioning to an elected board of five directors, the ECCFPD will be in step with other policymaking boards like the city councils of Brentwood and Oakley and special districts such as park, water and irrigation districts, said ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick, who oversees the $15 million a year fire district that operates three fire stations and a Marsh Creek station under contract with CalFire from November through April.

There are plans for the fire district to operate as many as nine fire stations.

Historically, the ECCFPD has been hammered with financial mismanagement issues that have hampered its fire effectiveness due to the closure of fire stations and the departure of seasoned firefighters who join fire districts offering better pay and benefit packages.

Under a five-person elected board, Chief Helmick says the district can convey a more consistent and solid financial picture about the ECCPFD than under the current nine member appointed board.

“The election results will bring efficiencies and more effective communications to the general public about the district’s direction,” Helmick told the Herald.  The fire chief said a newly elected board of directors will play a key role in the roll out of the fire district’s new strategic plan.  A consultant is slated to present a mockup of an ECCFPD strategic plan at an April 9 meeting, Helmick said.

“I am excited to see that voters supported the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s plan to move from nine members to five,” said District 3 Board of Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood.  “Nearly 12,000 people cast ballots and over 90 percent of them voted for the district’s initiative.  That level of engagement and confidence shows that the district’s efforts to communicate more actively with residents and to be transparent about the district’s challenges are paying off.  Chief Helmick and the board are making their case to residents and building the right foundation for the future.”

Report:  County Housing for Low and Very Low-Income Residents “Stagnates”

Contra Costa County’s production of new housing units built for families in low-and very low-income categories continues to “stagnate” while permits issued for the construction of above-moderate income housing units continues to soar, a new housing report approved by the Board of Supervisors reveals. CoCoCo 2017 Annual Housing Report

In order to be in compliance with annual housing regulations set by the Association of Bay Area Governments, California Department of Housing and Community Development, and California Office of Planning Research, the Contra Costa County Conservation and Development Department’s annual report prepared by Christine Louie reported, “While the county has made significant progress in achieving gross housing production goals, production of new housing units available to households in low-and-very low income categories continues to stagnate.”

Last year, the report states, the county issued three permits for new units available to low-and very-low income households.  Through the first three years of the current housing cycle only 11 such permits have been issued, constituting 1.2 percent of the total building permits issued for new units.

Discrimination, high land acquisition and construction/development costs are key factors for the county’s low housing production for low and very low-income households.

“Through the first three years of the current housing cycle, the total number of units for which the county has issued building permits is 856 units, which includes 11 low-income units, 14 moderate income units and 721 above-moderate income units,” the county housing report stated.

Last year, the county sponsored a number of subsidized housing programs designed to increase affordable housing.  Among the housing programs the county sponsored were:

  • The issuance $19.5 million in tax-exempt bonds for the rehabilitation of 114 units in unincorporated Bay Point and the city of Richmond.
  • The release of $146.8 million in tax-exempt bonds for construction of 376 new units in the unincorporated community of North Richmond and the cities of El Cerrito and Richmond.
  • The issuance of $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for an 82-unit senior housing project in the city of Pleasant Hill.
  • Providing $625,000 of HOME funds to support rehabilitation of a 14-unit apartment complex in Bay Point.

Neither the supervisors nor general public commented on the annual housing report that was approved as a consent item on the supervisors’ agenda.

Chief Helmick: East Contra Costa Fire’s critical infrastructure update and next steps

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ECCFPD Chief Brian Helmick

Over the past year, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) has worked on assuring that we are sustainable, operationally sound, and living within our means. Today, approximately one year into the District’s reorganization, we are beginning to see the fruits of our labor. We have been able to stabilize the District’s staff retention challenges and have started to define better administrative and operational processes. Although the District is not able to provide service levels that adequately protect the community’s residents at this time, we are well on our way to building a solid foundation from which service levels can be efficiently increased when the residents move to provide additional revenue.

While the District continues to stabilize and reinforce our foundation, we also will begin to prepare for growth. The District will start by investing in infrastructure (apparatus, equipment, and stations) in accordance with the District’s equipment and capital improvement plan. Historically (since 2002) the District has not adequately invested in its infrastructure, directing all available funds to attempt to retain a fourth fire station. Unfortunately, a fourth station is not sustainable with our current revenues, and deferred investment in the District’s infrastructure has created many challenges. District assets’ state-of-repair needs to be addressed to assure that ECCFPD is providing services as efficiently as possible now, and also preparing for future growth.

Indulge me for a moment as I explain why investing in infrastructure is vital for ECCFPD to be sustainable and to prepare for future growth.

Let’s start with our stations and how they relate to our service model.

The District currently has three open stations and is running at capacity with three personnel per station, per shift, for a total of nine firefighters on duty at any given time. With this three-station model, it is impossible to provide a high level of service in terms of response times throughout the District. Our system is very dynamic, and its’ limited number of engines are frequently out of the stations on calls. Occasionally, none are available for a new call and service must come from outside the District, so one cannot assume that being close to a fire station assures a rapid response. That means that the best response times are available to those nearest to a District engine at the time of their call because any or all three of our engines may be out of their stations on calls in Marsh Creek / Morgan Territory, Bethel Island, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, Oakley, Byron and/or Brentwood.

Now, imagine if the District were to receive additional revenue that would enable it to open six more stations, allowing it to achieve the recommendations in ECCFPD’s 2016 “Deployment Performance and Headquarters Staffing Adequacy Study” (https://eccfpd.specialdistrict.org/about-the-district). If the District had the budget, as the Fire Chief, I could quickly hire more firefighters. But the unfortunate reality is that the District does not have adequate stations, beyond the three that are currently staffed, to house additional firefighters 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition to our three active stations, the District also has five shuttered stations, but none of them can be reopened without massive renovations – or, more likely, complete replacement. The shuttered stations were mostly constructed in the 1950’s and were never intended to operate full-time (24-hours a day, seven days a week). Instead, they were built for volunteer firefighters to gather and respond to emergencies, and to store equipment. For the past 15 years, the District has done everything it could to update the antiquated facilities in an attempt to turn them into livable stations that are suitable for full-time fire department operations. Unfortunately, we have taken them as far as we can, and each of the shuttered stations is at the end of its useful life. Today, these stations are used for storage or sit vacant; unless the buildings are rebuilt, they will never reopen as fire stations. The shuttered stations are in the process of being evaluated to allow the District to determine if the assets will become surplus and sold, or if the stations will be rebuilt. This assessment will be finalized as part of the District’s upcoming Strategic Planning process.

Based on the “Deployment Performance and Headquarters Staffing Adequacy Study”, the District should have four fire stations in Brentwood, three in Oakley, and two in Discovery Bay / Byron, and for the District to continue its contract with Cal Fire to operate the Marsh Creek Station (Sunshine Station). The station locations were identified based on population, growth, and access to main roads to ensure response times are the best possible. The priority and process for opening future stations will be finalized during the District’s upcoming Strategic Planning process. Meanwhile, the District is already working with the cities of Brentwood and Oakley to build new stations now to prepare for future growth.

Second, let’s look at fire-fighting equipment. In addition to having an inadequate number of stations and crews, the District’s equipment is outdated, breaking down, and no longer meets National Fire Service recommended operational standards. Like the stations, during the economic downturn maintenance and replacement of fire engines and equipment was deferred. At this point, the District’s deferred maintenance and replacement practices have caught up with us and are impacting our service.

The District’s three front-line (“first-out”) engines are more than 10 years old and have racked up more than 100,000 miles of service. The fire service industry standards are to transition first-out fire engines to reserve status at either 10 years or 100,000 miles. In addition, most of the equipment on our engines is from 2001 and needs replacing. For example, the District is currently preparing and submitting grants to replace and update the District’s 17-year-old vehicle extrication equipment (“jaws of life”). If received, the grants will allow the District to replace this essential equipment on all three first-out engines, updating the mechanics from the old-fashioned hydraulic hoses hooked up to heavy equipment to modern battery-operated equipment, which is much lighter and faster to operate during rescue situations. The District also is on the look-out for grant opportunities to fund many other types of equipment replacement.

ECCFPD’s current service capacity is not acceptable in the near-term, and is no recipe for long-term success. This is why ECCFPD is in the beginning phases of creating a Strategic Plan that will define the path and cost to meet the response and staffing levels defined by the 2016 Deployment and Staffing Study. As the Fire Chief, I firmly believe that our Fire District is a critical part of our community that cannot be neglected and allowed to fall into disrepair.

To conclude, while the District continues to stabilize and reinforce our foundation, we are beginning to prepare for growth. Once the District’s Strategic plan is finalized, ECCFPD will explore funding options to meet the recommendations as defined by the Strategic Plan and the 2016 Deployment and Staffing Study. The future level of fire protection service will be decided by the voice of the District’s citizens. As ECCFPD moves forward, I will continue to work within our budget to provide the best service levels possible with the funding we have.

Sincerely,

Brian Helmick

Fire Chief, East Contra Costa Fire Protection District

Writer concerned East County Fire unable to respond to more than one call at a time

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Guest Commentary by Bryan Scott

An auto accident was reported at 4:05 pm on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, in Oakley.  It was a two-car accident, with one person injured who was subsequently transported to a hospital.  The accident occurred at the intersection of East Cypress Road and Bethel Island Road, in Oakley.

It took nearly 16 minutes for help to arrive (15:58 minutes).

The reason for the lengthy response time is that all resources of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD), the agency that provides emergency medical and fire services for the area, had responded to another auto accident that was reported at 3:38 pm, 27 minutes earlier.

This prior accident was in Brentwood, at the intersection of Sycamore Ave. and Brentwood Blvd.  All three stations responded to the accident, and four victims were airlifted to area hospitals.

Help for the Oakley accident came from a neighboring fire district, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (ConFire), as well as the county-contracted ambulance service provider. The two Confire stations nearest to the Oakley accident are in Antioch at 315 W. 10th Street and 196 Bluerock Drive.

According to Google Maps the stations are 10.3 and 11.2 miles away from the accident site, respectively, with normal driving time estimated at 21 and 20 minutes.  Arriving in 15:58 minutes means that flashing lights and a siren take about 20% off the normal driving time.

The nearest ECCFPD fire station to the Oakley accident is located at 540 Ohara Ave. in Oakley.  According to Google Maps it is just 4.2 miles from the accident scene, eight minutes normal driving time by car.  With a siren and flashing lights first reponders might arrive, from the closer fire station, in six minutes and 24 seconds.

The Monthly Operational Report issued by ECCFPD doesn’t list the severity of the injuries suffered in either accident.  An ECCFPD Facebook posting says that four victims of the Brentwood accident were transported to hospital by helicopters, shown in a picture the agency posted.

Consider this:  The human heart beats about 70-times per-minute, and pumps about 5-7 liters of blood per-minute.  It has been estimated that blood makes up 7% of a body’s weight, so for a 150-180 lbs. person there will be 4.7 – 5.5 liters of blood in the body.  Those of us with larger proportions will have more.

In a severe accident a cut to a major artery by glass or a piece of metal can cause blood to be pumped from the body, and rapid death.  Less-severe trauma to the body’s circulatory system would, of course, take longer to cause death.  But without immediate aid to staunch the loss of blood, a traffic accident victim has only minutes to live.  It doesn’t take long to lose four or five liters of blood.

State-mandated funding for ECCFPD is less than $94 per-person, while areas in Central County have funding for the same emergency medical and fire services at $449 and $370 per-person, according to the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission.  This funding allocation rate was set four decades ago, before East County experienced 1,500% residential growth.

Response times throughout the ECCFPD service area exceed municipal and industry goals by a wide amount, and the 115,000 residents are in danger because of this underfunding practice.

The County’s Grand Jury has issued several reports on the situation, a government task force has studied it, and the inadequate service has been noted by consultants, the media, and on a Vasco Road billboard that was erected by concerned citizens.

Oakley City Manager Bryan Montgomery has obstructed efforts to get property tax funding shifted to ECCFPD, so that ECCFPD can do a better job of protecting Oakley’s 40,000-and–growing population.

Like many top government managers, Montgomery wants to protect his agency’s budget.  This is a noble goal, but he is doing so at the expense of Oakley resident safety.

Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD.  He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428.  The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.  

Guest Commentary: Senator Glazer ignoring 115,000 constituents in East County fire district

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By Bryan Scott

East of Clayton and Antioch lies a broad swath of what used to be Contra Costa County farmland.  The California State Senator representing this area, Steve Glazer, seems to be ignoring the public safety needs of the people who now live there.

While East County used to contain just 8,000 residents and the largest irrigated orchard west of the Mississippi, the 249-square mile area now contains the cities of Brentwood (2016 pop. 60,532) and Oakley (pop. 40,622), along with the unincorporated communities of Bethel Island, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, and Morgan Territory.

All combined East County has a rapidly growing population of over 115,000 Californians.

A 2016 report by the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) stated that emergency medical and fire services provided by the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) were funded at a rate of $94 per-person.  The report also said that these same services were funded at the rate of $449 and $370 per-person in central parts of the county.

This low funding level has forced ECCFPD to close five of the eight fire stations operational in 2010, and drastically reduce staff.  Response times are at levels that far exceed any industry standards or goals.

In an interesting parallel, the nearby city of Lathrop in San Joaquin County has experienced significant growth and continues to grow due to its location along Interstate 5.  From 2000 through 2016, according to the US Census Bureau, it grew by 97%.   Lathrop’s 2016 population was 22,073, and the city expects to be at 35,000 by 2020.

The fire and emergency medical services that Lathrop Manteca Fire District (LMFD) provides are funded at a rate of $316 per resident (2016).  Lathrop is part of a 100 square-mile, mostly rural, area served by LMFD, with over 30,000 total area residents.  The district has four fire stations, 33 career firefighters, and 25 reserve/volunteers.

Yet, in East Contra Costa, have steadily deteriorated and the population and development grew.  In 2016 ECCFPD recognized the funding crisis, called a “public safety emergency” by another elected official, and passed a resolution pleading for help from Senator Glazer and others in the legislature.  You can view Resolution No. 2016-21 on the ECCFPD website.

The crisis was also the subject of reports by the Contra Costa County Grand Jury and a government task force, and it was noted by industry consultants as well as the media.  Concerned residents have erected a billboard along Vasco Road, a major arterial route into East County, drawing attention to the crisis.

“The District lacks sufficient funds to provide fire and emergency response to the communities it was created to serve,” said a three-page letter the ECCFPD Board sent to Senator Glazer in 2016, signed by then Board President Joel Bryant.

So far, Senator Glazer has done little or nothing to address this issue.

A review of bills authored or co-authored by Senator Glazer shows a wide range of subjects.  He’s sponsored ten “Awareness” month/week/day bills, several bills to ban smoking on public beaches and in parks, and one bill to change the names of California places because the names commemorate Civil War-era figures.

But he’s authored or co-authored no bills to improve the public safety of his ECCFPD constituents.

The Courage Campaign is a group of mostly online organizations that advocate for progressive causes in California. Representing an estimated 1.4 million members, the Courage Campaign uses digital tools with grassroots community organizers and targeted messaging.

The group focuses on the areas of Economic Justice, Human Rights and Corporate and Political Accountability.  It annually ranks California Senators and Assembly Members, and for 2017 Courage Campaign gives Senator Glazer a letter grade of “F,” along with a numeric score of 32 out of 100.

The “Courage Score” as it is called, grades California legislators on political courage, how well they stand up for their constituents.  While 16% of the all California Senators received an “A” grade, 40% received an “F” grade in 2017, including Senator Glazer.

According to the California Senate website, each Senator represents 931,349 Californians.  So the residents of the ECCFPD service area represent only about one-eighth (12.35%) of Senator Glazer’s district.

It is clear that Senator Glazer is not acting to address or improve the public safety emergency involving his constituents of the ECCFPD service area.

Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD.  He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428.  The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.  

Fire District, East County Voters, CoCoTax all encourage “yes” vote on Measure A

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The East County Voters for Equal Protection (ECV), led by Co-Chairs Hal Bray and Bryan Scott, are encouraging voters within the 249-square mile service area of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) to vote “Yes” on Measure A. 

A “Measure A” mail-in ballot has been distributed by mail to voters throughout the district by the Contra Costa County Clerk, Elections Division.  The measure was initiated by the ECCFPD Board of Directors.

A “Yes” will reduce the number of Directors of the oversight Board from nine to five.  All other fire districts in Contra Costa County have five-member boards, as do many cities, school districts and other special districts.

“An elected Board removes even the appearance of conflict between Board members, the agencies that appointed them, and the residents they represent,” said Bray.  “Reducing the size of the Board will make it easier to manage the operation of the District; the District and the residents of the District win on both counts.”

All seats on the Board of Directors will be filled by an election in November of this year as ECCFPD moves from an appointed Board to an elected Board.  The current nine-member board has been appointed since the creation of the fire district in 2002.

When the County’s Board of Supervisors consolidated three fire districts into a large regional district, ECCFPD, there was opposition from some East County residents who believed their community, such as the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, would lose influence.

Consequently, the largest concentration of residents, Brentwood, was given the most seats on the board, four, while the smaller city of Oakley got three seats.  The much less-populated unincorporated areas of the county received two seats.

Since all Board positions will be filled by popular vote, the assignment of Board seats by political jurisdiction is no longer necessary.

The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association (CoCoTax) also encourages East County residents to vote “Yes” on Measure A. 

“The best government is the most local government, with more direct access and accountability at the polling place,” said Jack Weir, CoCoTax President.    

While the change will have minimal fiscal impact on district finances, the change will improve the efficiency of district administration, according to the “Argument in Favor of Measure A” submitted by Fire Chief Brian Helmick.  His statement indicates it will be easier to build a consensus, he believes.

Ballots may be returned by mail, or dropped off at Oakley City Hall, Brentwood City Hall, or the Discovery Bay Community Center during regular business hours from Feb. 12 to March 6. Ballots may also be dropped off at County Elections Division, 555 Escobar Street in Martinez by 8 p.m., on or before March 6.

A County Elections Division Voter Services Center at the Brentwood Community Center will be open on Saturday, March 3, from 9 am – 3 pm, Monday, March 5, from 9 am to 6 pm, and on Tuesday, March 6, from 9 am to 8 pm, to receive ballots.

“East County Voters for Equal Protection” is a non-partisan, grass roots, citizens’ action committee formed to address the issue of unequal funding of fire and emergency medical services existing in 249 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County.  About 120,000 residents, as well as those who work and play in Eastern Contra Costa, have services funded at a level one-fourth to one-third of those levels in other parts of Contra Costa County.  For more information contact committee Co-Chairs Hal Bray at hal.bray@pacbell.net or Bryan Scott scott.bryan@comcast.net.    The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/

Guest Commentary: Nearby fire district responds minutes faster than ECCFPD

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By Bryan Scott

The residents of Brentwood and Oakley, as well as of the communities of Bethel Island, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, and Morgan Territory, are being underserved by the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD).

This is a fact that’s been well documented in Grand Jury reports, by a government task force, by the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), by industry consultants, by the media, and by ECCFPD itself.

The cause is equally well known.  Fire districts in California are funded with property taxes, at an allocation rate set following the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978.  This rate has not changed, even though the East County area has experienced a 1,500% increase in population.

According to a LAFCO report, funding for fire and emergency medical services provided by ECCFPD is $94 per-person, while these same services are funded at a rate of $370 and $449 per-person in central parts of the county.

How does our district compare with other areas of Northern California that have experienced rapid growth?  Remember, property taxes are levied at the same rate everywhere in California.

Lathrop is a valley town along Interstate-5, west of Manteca and to the east of Brentwood.  It is between Stockton and Tracy, in San Joaquin County.

Because of its location it has experienced significant growth, and continues to grow.  From 2000 through 2016, according to the US Census Bureau, it grew by 97%.   Lathrop’s 2016 population was 22,073, and the city expects to be at 35,000 by 2020.

Lathrop is part of a 100 square-mile, mostly rural, area served by the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District (LMFD).  Recently LMFD said the district served over 30,000 total area residents.  The district has four fire stations, 33 career fire fighters, and 25 reserve/volunteers.

The size, population make-up, growth patterns, and staffing, all combined, make LMFD look like a smaller version of the ECCFPD,  perhaps similar to what ECCFPD’s predecessor, the East Diablo Fire District, might have looked like, maybe 15 years ago, when it served just Brentwood and rural parts of Contra Costa County.

The fire and emergency medical services that LMFD provides are funded at a rate of $316 per resident (2016), compared to the $94 per-resident for ECCFPD.  Let that sink in a moment.

The LMFD average response time for the city of Lathrop during 2016 was 4:23 minutes or 5:29 minutes, depending on which of two fire stations responded to the call.  For ECCFPD, during the same 2016 calendar year, average response time to the Brentwood West area was 7:26 minutes, and to the Brentwood East area 7:24 minutes.

One could say that Lathrop’s total average response time (4:56 minutes) was about two and one-half minutes less than Brentwood’s total average response time (7:25 minutes).  This is according to figures published on the websites of both fire districts.

A lot can happen in two and one-half minutes, 150 seconds.  Try holding your breath for that long.  Wait.  Don’t do that, you’ll die.

East County has one State Senator and one Assembly Member.  As far back as 2016, September 14, 2016, to be exact, ECCFPD sent letters to both of these elected leaders, pleading for help with this funding crisis.

The East County public safety emergency, caused by this funding crisis, is on-going, Senator Glazer and Assembly Member Frazier.  It is past time to address this situation.

Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD.  He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428.  The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.  

East Contra Costa Fire Protection District to hold March 6 all mail-in election to reduce size of Board of Directors

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East Contra Costa Fire Protection District prepares for its first election of directors in November, 2018

By ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick

Brentwood – – On March 6, 2018, through a special all-mail ballot election, voters in the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District will have an opportunity to approve Measure A, which would decrease from 9 to 5 the number of members of the District’s Board of Directors. Measure A, if approved by a majority of voters, will take effect later this year when the District’s Directors will be elected for the first time.

The District currently has a nine-member Board, with two members appointed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, four members appointed by the Brentwood City Council, and three members appointed by the Oakley City Council.

On November 8, 2016, the District’s voters passed Measure N to transition the Board from an appointed Board to an elected Board. Board elections will be held for the first time on November 6, 2018, when all Directors’ seats will be up for election. Persons currently serving as appointed Directors will be eligible to run for seats as elected Directors. On December 7, 2018, the newly-elected Board members will take office and all of the current appointments to the Board will expire.

The District placed the measure on the ballot in hopes of increasing competition for directorships and improving the efficiency of District administration.

Registered voters of the District will receive ballots and voter information guides on or about February 5, 2018.

Voters may return their ballots by mail to the County Elections Division. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before March 6, 2018, and must be received by the County Elections Division in Martinez by March 9, 2018.

County’s Community Warning System functioned properly during Richmond fire Tuesday night

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A fire burns at Sims Metal Management in Richmond, CA Tuesday night, Jan. 20, 2017. Screenshot of video by ABC7 News.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

The mission of the Community Warning System (CWS) is to ensure the public gets emergency alerts as quickly and completely as possible once we receive the proper information from the requesting agency. CWS is not an internal notification system for a city or affected jurisdictions.

In regards to yesterday’s fire at Sims Metal Management shop located at 604 S. 4th Street in Richmond, CWS received all of the necessary information from Richmond Fire for an alert at 5:55 PM. There was no request to activate the sirens. The first alert was sent at 6:08 PM through the Telephone Emergency Notification Sys-tem (TENS), which includes phone, text, and email alerts. It is also posted on social media and websites. (See the ABC7 News story about and video of the fire, here).

As the fire continued to burn and produce smoke, and due to a shift in winds, the shelter-in-place needed to be expanded. CWS worked to get updates to additional shelter-in-place areas as they were requested by Richmond Fire and Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Program.

The second alert went out at 6:44 PM, the third alert went out at 7:57 PM, and the last one went out at 8:50 PM. These alerts went to expanded areas at the request of Richmond Fire and the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Program.

After the situation became somewhat stabilized and it was believed no additional shelter-in-place areas would be needed, a comprehensive map was created that included all affected are-as and was posted in on our website and Facebook page and sent directly to the media.

“In yesterday’s incident, the CWS worked as designed — alerts were sent once all the information was received from the requesting agency,” said Assistant Sheriff Mark Williams. “Mayor Butt’s statement that it took an hour to get out the first alert after receiving the necessary information from Richmond Fire is totally inaccurate, misleading, and presumptuous.”

CWS continually reviews it system and procedures in an effort to improve delivery of alerts. CWS encourages all county residents to receive alerts by registering at http://www.cococws.us and to follow CWS on Twitter and Facebook at CoCoCWS.