Residents Told To Take Fire Prevention Into Their Own Hands

Bay City News Service

Contra Costa County fire officials assured residents living near a Martinez fire station slated for closure next week that the fire protection district would continue to do its best to respond to emergencies in the area, but that response times will be longer.

At a sparsely attended meeting in Martinez Thursday night, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Chief Daryl Louder discussed the closure of Fire Station 12, located at 1240 Shell Ave. in Martinez, which is set to close on Tuesday, along with three stations in Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Clayton.

Fire Station 12 ranks in the lowest third of the district's call volume rates and is near three other stations, one of which is one mile away.

Louder encouraged residents living near the shuttered stations to take fire prevention into their own hands by keeping operational smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes, clearing their property of debris and other fire hazards, and considering the installation of fire sprinkler systems.

The Shell refinery — about a mile away from Fire Station 12 — could be the site of a serious incident necessitating a quick response. Louder acknowledged that potential, but said the low number of refinery emergencies, high safety standards, as well as an on-site fire brigade make it less risky.

The stations located in Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Clayton had similar criteria, although Clayton's station, which is more isolated, will remain open for six hours each day, Monday through Saturday.

Louder also told meeting attendees that the district will strive to be as efficient as possible in responding to calls and will continually monitor response times in the areas around the closed stations.

"We're going to do our job a little bit smarter and do our job as efficiently as we can," he said.

Once Fire Station 12 closes, surrounding residents can expect to wait an additional 27 seconds on average for fire crews to respond to a call for service, the chief said.

Partnering agencies American Medical Response and Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services have also pledged to work toward tightening their response times to emergency calls.

One homeowner who lives on the same street as Fire Station 12, Marcial Barrera, said Thursday night that he is considering taking CPR classes now that emergency responders will take longer to arrive, noting that many of his
neighbors are senior citizens.

"We're going to have to help each other out," he said.

Cheryl Grover, a resident of the unincorporated area of Mountain View, voiced her concerns at the meeting about her home insurance rates increasing due to the closed station.

The chief said he does not expect insurance costs to rise soon, but that rates could rise over time if the station remains closed.

A couple of residents tonight worried the shuttered station will affect the chances of new housing and commercial developments taking root in the area.

Louder told residents that he and other district officials would "continue working with elected officials to look at issues like development."

Although fire officials said the district will aim to provide the best protection possible to the communities most affected by the station closures, some at the meeting tonight also acknowledged that the road ahead would not be easy.

"It's going to be a challenge, to say the very least," Fire Marshal Lewis Broschard said after the meeting.

The fire district, which is already at less than 40 percent of national fire industry staffing standards, will be stretched even thinner after the closures, he said.

The closures are part of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District's plan to close a $17 million budget gap that fire officials say formed after years of falling property values and increasing personnel and operational costs.

After layoffs, eliminated positions, increased employee contributions to benefits, and other cost-cutting measures, district officials hoped a parcel tax measure on the November ballot would receive the 66-percent voter approval needed to close the budget gap. When the measure failed, Louder proposed the closures as a last resort.

"Closing fire stations was the very last option available to us," he said.

The closures mean the district will save roughly $1.6 million annually, fire officials said. Louder said at least one more fire station is expected to close in July.

The four stations closing their doors Tuesday were chosen based on an array of data including the number of calls each station typically receives, proximity to other fire stations and the level of fire threats to each community, the chief explained.
          
The fire district, which is already at less than 40 percent of national fire industry staffing standards, will be stretched even thinner after the closures, he said.

The district covers the cities of Concord, Martinez, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Antioch, Pittsburg, Lafayette, Clayton and San Pablo as well as several unincorporated areas such as El Sobrante, Bay Point and Pacheco.

Additional community meetings are set for:

• 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at the Veterans' Memorial Building at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette,
• at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Walnut Heights Elementary School at 4064 Walnut Blvd. in Walnut Creek and
• at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the community library at 6125 Clayton Road in Clayton to discuss station closures in those communities.

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