A contract between the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the city of Pinole for the district to provide fire and emergency services in the city will take hold starting March 1, 2023.
The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approved the contract unanimously in November. The county Board of Supervisors (acting as the fire district's board) and the Pinole City Council unanimously approved the deal in October.
The fire district will assume responsibility for all firefighting staff, support staff, facilities and equipment for the city of 19,000 people. The contract goes into effect Jan. 1 to allow two months of work on implementation.
The most noteworthy of service improvements will be the reopening and staffing of Fire Station 74, which was closed in 2011 due to budget cuts. The station is expected to be open March 1.
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"I am pleased with the partnership with Con Fire that is rooted in empathy, resilience, solutions and actions," said Pinole Mayor Devin Murphy as mayor pro tem on Oct. 10 when the City Council approved the contract. "I hope this partnership will continue based on these values."
According to the fire district, benefits of the new contract will include more coordinated, cohesive and streamlined fire and emergency services. Another benefit will be better alignment of firefighting models across districts that could net both increased fire services and improved firefighter safety.
