Crime & Safety

What's Next In Lafayette's Fire Station Future?

After county Board of Supervisors voted against pursuing joint operation of Orinda-Lafayette station, Moraga-Orinda Fire District board meets tonight (Wednesday).

What's next?

That's what fire officials and local residents are asking after the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved away from a possible jointly run fire station. Specifically, the board in a 4-1 vote (with Candace Andersen voting against) denied authorization to the ConFire chief to negotiate a joint operating agreement with the Moraga-Orinda Fire District.

Some supervisors questioned the estimate that a Orinda-Lafayette station consolidation would save each of the two fire districts about $1 million annually in operating costs, the Contra Costa Times reported.

Perhaps the best answer to "what's next?" is at tonight's (Wednesday) scheduled meeting of the MOFD Board of Directors. One option, mentioned in an agenda item, "Take possible action to provide Staff with direction concerning the Station 43/16 consolidation proposal. The direction may include authorizing the Fire Chief to enter into an agreement with the City of Lafayette, consistent with the terms identified in the Fire Chief’s letter to the Lafayette Mayor, dated May 8, 2013 that would allow the City to purchase the property on behalf of the District."

The district meets at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) at the Mosaic Room at Hacienda de las Flores, 2100 Donald Dr., Moraga — after a 6 p.m. closed session to discuss employee evaluations and labor negotiations.

The agenda says one possible action is: "Take possible action to provide Staff with direction concerning the Station 43/16 consolidation proposal. The direction may include authorizing the Fire Chief to enter into an agreement with the City of Lafayette, consistent with the terms identified in the Fire Chief’s letter to the Lafayette Mayor, dated May 8, 2013 that would allow the City to purchase the property on behalf of the District."

Lafayette needs to look out for its interests, noted Steve Cohn, a member of the Orinda Citizens Emergency Services Task Force that analyzes the finances of MOFD. 

In an email, Cohn wrote:
"Lafayette taxpayers are paying $8 million to ConFire for service. It costs about $1 million per firefighter to run the District. Lafayette is now only getting the services of six ConFire firefighters. The “extra” $2 million is going to subsidize other areas in the District. If Station 46 had been created, even if Station 17’s staffing had been reduced to two … Lafayette would be getting the service they are paying for.  I believe Lafayette has to make a move — and their Supervisor, Andersen, getting out-voted 4-1 so that other areas of the county can utilize Lafayette’s tax dollars — cannot help them."


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