South Bay County canceled the contract with Cal Fire

Morgan Hill, California. – – A change in the fire brigade providers for some residents of Santa Clara County will come into force later this year, just as the region is moving into the teeth of the Feuerzeit.

“Change is always difficult for everyone and this specific agency, and this will make a change for Cal Fire,” said Sylvia Arenas, representative of District 1 on the Supervisory Board of Santa Clara County.

She said that a financial invoice day has been taking place with Cal Fire for over a decade in relation to the current structure of a fire protection contract.

As a result, 320 square miles of Land will have a new fire protection in a non -legal South Clara County since 1980.

On Tuesday, the district supervisory board gave a second and final vote to terminate its long -term contract with Cal Fire.

“This is a step of the Central Fire Agency to add more to her department in order to create a real fire brigade in the district,” said Tim Edwards, President of Cal Fire Local 2881, the union that represents the firefighters of the agency.

The residents of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martín from the South Santa Clara County Fire District are currently covered.

However, district officials have announced in recent years that the district deserves money and that bankruptcy is almost almost. In fact, officials said they had to use money from the general fund to close the current Fiscal deficiency. Now the South Fire District is founded in the central fire brigade district of the district.

Officials referred to a report by the local agency (LAFCO) reporting report (LAFCO), in which it was found: “This reorganization will rationalize the fire reaction activities and address many years of structural challenges with the maintenance of adequate fire protection in South County.”

“To ensure that South County continues to receive the type of fire reaction you deserve, this restructuring with Central County Fire District is optimal,” said Arenen. “Really, everything has to do with financial solvency.”

The Cal Fire union said from the week of March 3, the members will distribute information flyers to affected residents in which the change, which is due to take place at the end of June, will be catastrophic and possibly dangerous.

Union officers claim that there will be a loss of 30 jobs, longer response times and greater vulnerability at a time when the fire risk is the worst.

The members believe that cost savings are reduced by a switch by higher salary costs if they are not completely eliminated.

“Cal Fire already costs a third to two thirds cheaper than the salaries they pay the Central Fire Agency. If you look at people, if people actually do their homework, their pension funds are bankrupt or have such problems,” said Edwards.

District officers said that the only sustainable way of maintaining the 1980 agreement is that the affected residents of South County control themselves to compensate for the books.

At a meeting of the supervisory board on the topic on January 14th, some residents believed that the change would be good.

“Now is the right time to consider, combine these districts. Again, fire protection for South County is priority,” said Ramon Lopez in South County at that time.

The district's Lafco still has to deregister when the change in April. As soon as this happens, the combination of South and Central Brand Protection Services on July 1st.

The contract with Cal Fire to provide fire fighting services in the city of Morgan Hill remains in force.

Jesse Gary is a reporter in the South Bay Bureau of the train station. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @jessektvu

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