The future of fire protection in the South Bay is in the balance as Santa Clara County supervisors aim to transition from a fire department run by Cal Fire to one run by the county.
Santa Clara County’s Local Agency Formation Commission held a public hearing Wednesday where residents were able to weigh in on the plan.
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WATCH HEREAt issue is a directive from county supervisors to the county fire department to expand its services into Morgan Hill, unincorporated Gilroy and San Martin as part of a plan to help address a budget deficit. The South County Fire District, which is headed by Cal Fire, will dissolve, and the county will end an $8 million annual contract with the state agency.
Cal Fire for decades has been contracted to provide service for unincorporated areas of Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy.
The county has been trying to assure people that they will have the same number of firefighters, that response times won’t be impacted and that their property taxes won’t change.
Supervisors made the decision in January, but residents on Wednesday were invited to voice their concerns.
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South County's Cal Fire Employees' Union opposes the move and said it will displace around 30 firefighters, and force them to work or live elsewhere.
Wednesday's meeting lasted 20 minutes and residents who showed up were frustrated with what they said is a lack of information.
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SIGN UP The regulatory board overseeing the decision said it received more than 370 protests.
"How did this happen? Why did it happen so fast?" said Susan Jacobsen, a resident of unincorporated Gilroy. "Why weren't we informed and why don't we count?"
County firefighters spoke with NBC Bay Area after the meeting and are hoping to ease community concerns.
"The changes that people are going to see is a slightly different patch on the shoulder and a different colored fire engine potentially," Santa Clara County Fire Department Capt. Justin Stockman said.
The county is trying to assure people they will have the same number of firefighters at the stations and will even build a new fire station near Morgan Hill. For wildfires, Cal Fire's air attack and other resources are still able to respond.
"The South County Fire Protection District is facing a financial cliff very soon," Stockman said. "That means one of two things for south community members. That means either a drastic cut in service or a significant tax increase. We're going to continue service at or above the previous level without either of those two things happening."
The plan is for county fire to take over operations as early as July 1.
