The dismantling of Sonoma County’s 25-year-old Department of Fire and Emergency Services continued this week as the Board of Supervisors shifted two of its key roles — hazardous materials programs and fire prevention — to a different county agency.
Next month, another major division — emergency management — will be broken away from the department and moved more directly under the control of the county administrator.
The moves stem from long-running discontent within the fire services community over a county agency that had little more than an administrative role, overseeing volunteer companies across the region. Its annual budget was $10 million — $2.4 million which went to firefighting oversight with more than half the money going to department salaries, with many positions filled by retired firefighters already getting a pension .
The troubled department was cast in even more critical light in the aftermath of the 2017 fires, when its top emergency manager revealed that he had ruled out a year beforehand use of Amber Alert-type cellphone messages in the event of a countywide emergency.
The manager was reassigned early this year and later retired.
“What was created obviously hasn’t been working,” Board of Supervisors Chairman James Gore said.
“It was highly criticized and couldn’t respond to that criticism. I believe in progress, not in attitudes or egos ... I want to see progress. That should be our ultimate goal.”
Permit Sonoma, the county’s land-use planning, permitting and development agency, will now oversee hazardous materials spill responses and programs aimed at preventing fires in unincorporated areas.
Christopher Godley, who was named emergency manager this week after serving in an interim capacity since March, will see his division reorganized under County Administrator Sheryl Bratton’s office.
That will leave only fire operations to be reassigned, a step county officials expect to take this spring, when the remaining 11 volunteer fire companies, scattered around the county shift to new administration.
Among those fire departments set to expand in the shuffle is Gold Ridge, whose officials are negotiating with the county to take over administration of six volunteer companies.
The overhaul stems from decades of dissatisfaction among fire officials and numerous studies pointing to the need to modernize the county’s antiquated network of fire agencies, which at their peak numbered about 55.
Many of those entities have struggled financially, especially those dependent on volunteer firefighters, whose ranks have thinned amid demographic changes affecting rural residents and ever-higher training requirements and costs.
The county started its department in 1993, with an aim of improving emergency response in rural areas by giving support and training to a then-heartier volunteer firefighting force. The county provided support with property tax money from each jurisdiction, but withheld any general fund money to bolster fire services.
Numerous fire officials complained that the support for volunteer companies was insufficient, with many relying year to year on money raised through pancake breakfasts and barbecues.
The county department also suffered from a revolving set of leaders and directions from the Board of Supervisors.
After another review calling for changes, supervisors in the past few years stepped up support for fire services, not just volunteer companies.
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