Page 40 - Sonoma County Gazette October 2018

Challenges & Opportunities facing the Monte Rio Fire District
By Dan Fein
The Monte Rio Fire Protection District (MRFPD) has a nearly 100 year
history of responding to local emergencies when residents and visitors need them the most. This legacy of work and preparedness has been powered by
a volunteer fire fighting and emergency response technician force since its inception. Times have changed, and the MRFPD Board is working to adapt to modern realities.
Things are moving along this fall in the river. A workshop on the new Monte Rio bridge was held 9/28. This winter the development of design alternatives will be addressed, with a final design released in 2022 and the construction phase to be in 2023 and 2024.
In 2017, the North Bay faced the most dramatic and significant wildfires in the history of our State. The Sonoma County fires alone resulted in 9,000 structures lost, including 5,800 homes and 23 of our neighbors’ lives. We cannot afford to sit back in the Monte Rio area and wait for nature to take its course. In addition, Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman, who has dedicated his time and life’s
An Onsite Water Treatment System (OWTS) workshop was held 9/29. The OWTS Manual will be considered by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in November 2018.
work to Monte Rio Fire District for free, will be retiring. It is paramount that we prepare to hire a Fire Chief to step into his very large shoes.
Also moving along is the MAC formation. The county board of Supervisors should have approved the MAC formation on 9/25. Candidate applications will then be available with a deadline for submission of 10/24. Registered voters will receive candidate information and a ballot for their specific district
Facing the future:
COMMUNITY MEETINGS: Wed. October 3, 5:30 pm, Northwood Restaurant, 19400 CA-116, Monte Rio Thurs., October 4, 6 PM, Jenner Community Center, 10398 CA-1, Jenner, Sat. October 6, 3PM, Monte Rio Community Ctr, 20488 CA-116, Monte Rio
by mail after 11/7 and it must be returned by 11/17. Also, on 11/17 there will be a caucus held with a meet and greet the candidates, where you can also drop off your ballot. The winning candidates will be announced 11/21, the day before Thanksgiving. Nine districts have been formed ranging from Forestville to Cazadero. Each district will have one representative and one alternate representative, except for Forestville and Guerneville which will have two representatives based on their higher populations. You will only be able to vote for candidates running in your district (Monte Rio). The thought process behind forming
Staffing: Volunteer fire companies have faced
a declining volunteer base for the past 20 years,
mirroring the declining enrollment of our schools.
Increased cost of living, shortages of housing, jobs that
increasingly demand a longer commute or a two-job
work schedule, and a general decline in volunteerism
have contributed to the problem. The volunteers
that do offer their services face much more stringent
requirements for training than in the past, so a
volunteer’s commitment of time far exceeds that of just responding to calls.
a MAC is to allow more local say in governance on issues that effect our area and to have a greater voice with the county supervisors.
Regional Response: MRFPD responds to neighboring Camp Meeker and Cazadero’s response calls, as those districts are not adequately staffed either, especially during the day when their limited volunteers are at work. In 2017 Monte Rio responded to over 700 calls and is on track to exceed that volume in 2018.
Retirement: Chief Steve Baxman, who has been a stalwart volunteer with incredible community service ethic, is often responding to calls by himself. Chief Baxman is also approaching retirement age, and great concern lies in what happens next.
Budget: Monte Rio’s budget will not allow the district to hire the full time coverage needed to ensure that we can provide the services our residents have come to expect and rely upon. Monte Rio Fire Department is in danger of becoming merely a rich tradition without the immediate tools necessary to get the job done.
Equipment Upgrades: Local fire departments are often first on the scene to extinguish brush fires – a critical component to preventing wildfires. Monte Rio is using trucks that are decades old, and needs new equipment ranging from protective fire gear for house and brush fires to oxygen tanks and masks. New funding sources are needed to ensure that we can take care of our own here locally, while enhancing the safety of our community.
Collaboration: Monte Rio Fire Protection District has been increasingly working across district boundaries to share resources and realize efficiencies. Currently the district shares administration services with Cazadero and Russian River Districts. Training is starting to occur regionally as well.
Unlike the prior RRROC (Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee), the MAC will serve a larger geographic area, and it will not have a source of funding, at least not at the beginning. It is possible that more of the TOT bed tax we generate will be kept here. For the MAC to be effective, we need the best candidates that will work to address the issues we have. Most importantly they will need to have a record of taking on difficult issues and getting results. The RRROC did some good things, but it seemed the ones
that made out best were the special districts that pushed the most for money for their own operations. One area in which the RRROC came up short in my opinion was on wastewater solutions. A lot of time and money was spent on consultants and we still don’t have a solution in place (but at least we are now getting there thanks to State mandates). Another shortfall was improving our local business district (which also can be tied into wastewater solutions). Monte Rio during its heyday was incredible. Other hamlets such as Guerneville and Rio Nido also had heydays. How did they go from where they were to where they are now? Maybe we won’t be seeing a seven-story hotel in Monte Rio anytime again soon, but could we at least bring the Pink back? Fortunately, there are people moving here that realize the unique beauty we have, our potential, and they are used to receiving responsive government services.
Have we turned the corner yet? Is there a critical mass established that expects and demands change? Will we have candidates that are professional, civil,
have integrity, have a track record of accomplishments, and that will make
a difference? Will the MAC be successful? I hope so. sonomacounty.ca.gov/ Lower-Russian-River-Municipal-Advisory-Council/
Ballot Measure: The Board of Directors of the Monte Rio Fire Protection District has placed a parcel tax measure on the November ballot to fund fire and emergency response services for its residents. With increasing needs for professional staffing, a recently launched stipend program to ensure volunteer coverage, training needs for the next generation of firefighters and equipment, fire trucks, and infrastructure that is aging out, the District is compelled to approach voters for additional funding.
Permit Sonoma has a new Administrative Citation Program that began in August supporting their goal of establishing a safe and healthy community. This new program provides an additional tool for enforcement, enabling the County to enforce various codes and ordinances via less stringent enforcement action. Administrative citations gives them the ability to respond immediately to transient and nuisance violations in the field. Examples they give are non- operative vehicles, junkyard conditions, and issues with vacation rentals. You can use the SoCo Report It app and remember to follow-up to get results.
A parcel tax for Monte Rio would create a sustainable and dedicated source of revenue to enhance public safety, decrease response times, and better serve the residents of our district. This type of community investment would allow Monte Rio to implement the optimum solution for the future of our fire protection district.
Lastly, we are getting into the season where we experience poor air quality due to improper use of wood burning stoves. Be a good neighbor, be considerate of your neighbors, and burn cleanly. This means burning dry seasoned wood with adequate air intake so there are minimal visible smoke emissions.
Dan Fein is the president of the Monte Rio Fire Protection District Board of Directors
40 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 10/18
Hope everyone has a great October.