County Fire Protection
Overview
Mission Statement
The mission of the Santa Cruz County Fire Department is to protect the life, property, and natural resources of its citizens and visitors through effective emergency response, preparedness, education, and prevention.
Department Overview
The County Fire Department is responsible for structural fire protection, first responder emergency medical services, technical rescue, public fire safety education, and fire marshal services including inspection services for unincorporated areas of the County that are not included in an autonomous fire district. Volunteer firefighters make up the bulk of County Fire Department staffing, with supplemental staffing from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
The County provides fire protection for Pajaro Dunes as a discretionary function through a contract with CAL FIRE. The fire station at Pajaro Dunes is financed by County Service Area 4 assessments. Though CSA 4 does not directly employ firefighters, workers compensation and volunteer firefighter stipends for training and shift assignments are funded through the budget.
Mutual aid and automatic aid agreements entered into between fire agencies throughout the County and the State allow firefighters to respond to emergencies across political boundaries.
Budget Summary
Department Budget Overview
Budget Summary of Changes
The County Fire budget is status quo and includes funding from County Service Area (CSA) 48, Proposition 172 funding for the Fire Chiefs Association, and funding for Santa Cruz County Hazardous Materials Response Incidents Team. The County Fire contract with CalFire is currently under negotiation and represents a minimal change contract budgeted for maximum contract liability which will allow status quo services to the extent possible, which includes fire protection for CSA 4 Pajaro Dunes, while incorporating some known anticipated changes.
Supplemental Budget Summary of Changes
Corrects the initial budget with $1,052,817 increase for services that are within the existing County Fire Contract but that previously were administratively adjusted for assumed budgetary savings. Provides for $100,000 to replace the McDermott Fire Station leach field and support to update the department's policy manual. For CSA 4 (Pajaro Dunes) it includes corrections to increase by $277,847 services that are within the existing County Fire Contract but that previously were administratively adjusted for assumed budgetary savings.
Open the Services Overview or Operational Plan Objectives below for more details.
Department Operations and Performance
Budget Details
The charts below show department expenditures and revenues by division and service. Click on the pie charts to drill down for more detail. Complete detail can be found on the County's Transparency Portal.