Nevada County, Calif. — The Nevada County Fire Chiefs Association, along with several Fire District Boards, is calling on the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to modernize the way local fire protection and emergency response services are funded, warning that today’s public safety demands have far outpaced funding formulas established more than four decades ago.
In a letter submitted to the Board of Supervisors, the Association emphasized that local fire districts are providing increasingly complex emergency services while relying on funding models developed more than 40 years ago, when many fire districts were primarily volunteer organizations. Today’s fire service has evolved into an all-hazards emergency response system providing 24-hour fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, disaster preparedness, wildfire mitigation, and emergency management.
“Today’s fire service bears little resemblance to the volunteer-based system these funding formulas were originally designed to support,” said Chief Jason Robitaille, Fire Chief of Nevada County Consolidated Fire District. “The property tax allocation formulas currently used to fund local fire districts are antiquated and no longer reflect the realities of a modern fire service. They must be updated to provide sustainable funding that supports the level of service our communities expect and deserve.”
The Association pointed to the recently completed Countywide Fire and Emergency Response Services Municipal Service Review (MSR), prepared for the Nevada Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). California law anticipates that Municipal Service Reviews be updated approximately every five years to evaluate the efficiency and sustainability of essential public services. However, Nevada County’s previous countywide fire MSR had not been comprehensively updated in approximately 20 years, making the current report the first comprehensive evaluation of countywide fire and emergency services in two decades.
The MSR identifies long-term financial sustainability, staffing, and funding modernization as critical issues facing Nevada County’s fire districts and recommends updating funding mechanisms to ensure reliable emergency response capabilities for the future. “As a fire service professional in Nevada County for more than forty years now, I can attest to the fact that the costs of operations are far out pacing our current revenue streams. At the current pace and without a shift in property tax funding, fire districts are going to continue to struggle to provide adequate staffing and replace aging and outdated equipment.” Chief Robb Rothenberger, Fire Chief of Ophir Hill Fire Dist.
The Association expressed concern that the Board of Supervisors recently declined to pursue the MSR’s funding recommendations without first engaging in a discussion with local fire agencies of the potential impacts those decisions may have on emergency medical services, fire suppression, wildfire response, and public safety throughout Nevada County. The Fire Chiefs Association believes those impacts deserve careful evaluation before opportunities to modernize fire service funding are set aside.
The consequences of limited staffing are already being felt. During the past seven days alone, multiple local government fire engines were committed to wildfire responses, leaving only one engine staffed with two firefighters available to protect the entire western portion of Nevada County until resources from another county were requested. While mutual aid remains a cornerstone of California’s fire service, routinely relying on neighboring jurisdictions to maintain minimum coverage is not a sustainable long-term solution.
The Association also noted that many engine companies in Nevada County continue to respond with only two firefighters, despite the increasing complexity of today’s emergencies. Modern fireground operations require personnel to simultaneously perform rescue, fire attack, ventilation, emergency medical care, incident command support, and rapid intervention. Increasing engine staffing from two to three firefighters would significantly improve firefighter safety, operational effectiveness, and the ability to provide timely emergency services.
The Association is encouraging the County to evaluate several funding opportunities identified in the MSR, including equitable allocation of Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), strategic investment of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenues to address visitor-related public safety impacts, and modernization of outdated property tax allocation agreements that no longer reflect today’s emergency service responsibilities.
“Our request is not simply about increasing funding,” Chief Joel Tam, Fire Chief of Higgins Fire District said. “It is about creating a modern, transparent, and sustainable funding system that reflects the demands placed on today’s fire service. Reliable funding means safer staffing levels, improved emergency response, enhanced wildfire preparedness, better recruitment and retention of firefighters, and a stronger ability to protect the lives and property of everyone who lives in or visits Nevada County.”
The Nevada County Fire Chiefs Association remains committed to working collaboratively with the Board of Supervisors, the County Executive Office, and community stakeholders to implement the recommendations identified in the Municipal Service Review and develop long-term funding solutions that strengthen emergency response capabilities throughout Nevada County.
“Our firefighters stand ready every day to protect this community,” Chief Mike Stewart, Fire Chief of Washington Fire. “Now our County Supervisors need to update a funding system that stands behind them.”