Oct. 30—The Vallejo City Council voted Tuesday to use a nearly $700,000 grant plus a half-million dollars in Measure P funds to purchase a dedicated marine emergency response fireboat for the city's fire department.

The estimated overall cost is $1,069,576, and a federal Port Security Grant will provide $690,619. The Measure P Committee last week unanimously recommended $500,000 in Measure P funds to cover the proposed local match of $378,957 and provide $121,043 for potential cost increases.

This is Step One of a two-step budget process, and the final decision will be made at a future council meeting. Fire Chief Jonathan Goulding explained the rationale for the request.

"We have 18 miles of shoreline we have to protect along San Pablo Bay, the Napa River, Mare Island Strait and the Carquinez Strait. We have two ferry terminals and over 750 boat slips at the Municipal Marina and the Yacht Club," Goulding said.

"In March we had a fire along the docks. The Coast Guard based in Vallejo was not available," said the fire chief, who made his presentation along with Capt. Jonathan Alberti of the fire department.

"We had to call fireboats from Tiburon and San Rafael. It took them about an hour to get there and fight the fire. Those were vacant buildings, but as we build up along the waterfront that delay would have been substantial."

The response time delay due to no local fireboats caused concern among some citizens. Ashley Epes, an 8-year Mare Island resident, wrote an email to the Times-Herald and then- Vallejo Fire Chief James Rustice about the delay.

The fire chief said that after getting quotes for three boats, the fire department has selected a Moose Boat M3-36 to provide dedicated all-hazards marine response capabilities.

"We selected Moose Boat because it has better capabilities and better costs. It is produced a few blocks from my fire admin," the chief said.

The Moose Boat Company is headquartered on Mare Island at 1175 Nimitz Avenue.

"During the process of it being built we can go out and check on it. In the future if we have any needs they are right there on Mare Island," Goulding said.

Buildout is going to be roughly 18 months, the fire chief said.

In response to a question from Council Member Helen-Marie Gordon, the chief said any Measure P monies not used would go back to Measure P.

The seven-member volunteer Measure P Committee decides which requests for Measure P funding to recommend to the City Council.

Vallejo residents in 2022 voted to increase their taxes by seven-eighths of a cent, passing Measure P by a 55 percent margin. The revenue —an estimated $18 million annually —funds services including road repairs and pavement maintenance, fire protection and emergency medical response, blight and illegal dumping cleanup.

Council Member Tonia Lediju noted, "This is a significant investment," doubtless referring to the half-million-dollar Measure P contribution.

"What is the useful life of this vessel? What will be the cost from a staffing perspective? Have we looked at how we're going to maintain it after three years?" she asked.

The fire chief said the boat will have a 20-year lifespan

"We believe we will be able to absorb it in our operating budget," Goulding said. "We are not projecting a major increase in our maintenance costs." He added that there will be an increase in fuel costs.

Chiming in, City Manager Harry Black uttered what likely will become a deathless quote: "Everything we are doing from this point forward must be budget-neutral.

"That's our mandate, that's our mantra, that's how we're operating," Black said.

In an interview, Black noted that his comment was a general one and he fully supports the purchase of the fireboat.

Mayor Andrea Sorce, who participated virtually due to a contagious illness, said, "This has been a long time coming and is something that will greatly support our fire response. I fully support this."

The item passed unanimously and will come up for a second vote at a future meeting.

" The Vallejo Fire Department used to have a robust maritime program prior to bankruptcy," Alberti said in an interview. "We're re-establishing resources we used to serve the community with, so it's a great time moving forward."

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