Monte Rio Fire Protection District
The Monte Rio Fire Protection District (MRFPD) covers 45 square miles of western Sonoma County, shown in Figure . It has a population between 2,500 and 3,000.
Staff shortages and aging facilities may affect the District’s ability to meet growing demands for service. A special tax ballot measure planned for November 2005 would allow MRFPD to improve its level of service.
GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONS
MRFPD was formed in 1920 to provide fire suppression, medical aid, and rescue services. Its staff consists of 14 volunteers and a part-time administrative assistant employed by the Board of Directors. The District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors. The Board meets the second Tuesday of each month, and its meetings are open to the public. District information is publicized through press releases to the local newspaper.
The District’s revenue comes primarily from property taxes. Its operating budget for FY 04-05 is $441,000. It has paid off two years on a five-year loan for the purchase of a new engine; its current debt is $125,000. It reserves consist of appropriations for contingency in the amount of $65,000, or approximately 15 percent of operating expenditures. The District does not currently have any major sources of revenue other than property taxes, which account for over 95 percent of total revenues. However, MRFPD is in the process of trying to pass a special tax that is likely to appear on the ballot in November 2005. The District is working with a consultant to prepare for the election and reports that there is community support for the measure. The tax would probably be assessed at $40 per unit, as in the neighboring Russian River Fire Protection District.
MRFPD has mutual aid agreements with neighboring districts and participates in joint purchasing and training programs with other fire protection agencies in Sonoma County, including CSA 40. It is also exploring additional opportunities for cooperation. In January 2005, the boards of directors of Bodega Bay FPD, Monte Rio FPD, and Russian River FPD voted to pursue possibilities relating to the consolidation of their districts. Because a consolidation cannot impose new taxes on residents without a vote, Monte Rio must pass its own special tax before it can formally consolidate. (Russian River and Bodega Bay FPDs both charge special taxes.)
INFRASTRUCTURE, FACILITIES, AND SERVICES
The District’s ISO ratings are 4 and 8, depending on distance from a fire hydrant. Its call volume is between 500 and 530 calls for service annually.
MRFPD’s equipment includes three rescue vehicles, two brush trucks, and four pumpers. The District has three stations, located in Monte Rio, Duncans Mills, and Jenner. Two of these stations are 50 years old. Although the District believes they should be rebuilt, it lacks the necessary construction funds.
FIRE PROTECTION DEMAND AND CAPACITY
The District does not anticipate any major growth or changes in its service area boundaries. Sonoma County PRMD growth projections indicate that the population of the entire Russian River area (which includes Monte Rio’s eastern portion) will grow from 16,462 in 2000 to 18,960 in 2020, an average increase of 0.76 percent annually. Projections for the Sonoma Coast Planning Area, encompassing the length of the County’s coast and extending as much as 15 miles inland, anticipate an increase of 3,283 between 2000 and 2020, or annual growth of nearly 2 percent. Difficulty in finding daytime staff among its volunteers (many of whom work outside of Monte Rio) and aging facilities will increasingly affect the District’s ability to meet current and future service demands. Its ability to reconstruct its stations to help serve new development will depend in part upon the passage of the planned 2005 bond measure.
The demand from one fire department to another varies significantly. The table below provides a snap shot on the calls for service for the department.
Emergency Incident Activity // Structure Fire Res. / Structure Fire Com. / Medical Aid / Vehicle Accident / Vehicle Fire / Vehicle Accident: Extrication / Outside: Trash, Dumpster / Wildland / Auto Fire Alarm / Other / Total /
2009
2010
2011
Total
% / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / %
Cumulative Total
% / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / % / %
Figure: Monte Rio Fire Protection District Sphere of Influence
determinations – Draft 2013
Growth and population projections for the affected area
The Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department projects annual growth of 0.69 percent or a total of 15.2 percent growth between 2000 and 2020 for the Russian River area as a whole; no major population increases are anticipated within MRFPD boundaries. MRFPD does not anticipate any major growth or changes to its service boundaries in the near future.
The location and characteristics of any disadvantaged unincorporated communities within or contiguous to the sphere of influence
In Sonoma County the State Department of Water Resources and Sonoma LAFCO has designated, Boyes Hot Springs, Cazadero, Glen Ellen, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Temelec and Valley Ford as “disadvantaged unincorporated communities”.
The Town of Monte Rio has been identified as a “disadvantaged unincorporated communities”.
Present and planned capacity of public facilities and adequacy of public services, including infrastructure needs or deficiencies
Two out of the Monte Rio Fire Protection District’s three fire stations are 50 years old and should be rebuilt, but the District lacks the funds necessary to do so. A site has been located for a new Headquarters Station.
Financial ability of agencies to provide services
Status of, and opportunities for, shared facilities
The District has mutual aid agreements with neighboring districts and participates in joint purchasing and training programs with the rest of Sonoma County
.
Accountability for community service needs, including governmental structure and operational efficiencies
The MRFPD’s five-member Board of Directors meets the second Tuesday of each month at the main fire station. Meetings are open to the public. Information about the District is also published in the local newspaper.
Any other matter related to effective or efficient service delivery, as required by commission policy
None