PINOLE, CALIF. – The City of Pinole and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) today announced effective and implementation dates for the contract with Con Fire for all fire and emergency medical services in the city beginning in early 2023.
Both the Pinole City Council and Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, acting as the Con Fire board, as well as the Contra Costa Local Area Formation Commission, have unanimously approved the contract proposal.
The contract is expected to be implemented, with Con Fire assuming responsibility for all firefighting staff, support staff, facilities and equipment, on March 1, 2023. The contract effective date, allowing final work to progress on implementation, will be January 1, 2023.
The merger of today’s City of Pinole Fire Department into the Con Fire family, through this contract for service arrangement, will provide improved fire and emergency services to the city’s 19,000 residents. One of the most noteworthy of these improvements will be the reopening and staffing of Fire Station 74 that has been shuttered since 2011 when it was closed due to Great Recession-related budget cuts. Fire Station 74 is expected to open on or about March 1.
“I am pleased with the partnership with Con Fire that is rooted in empathy, resilience, solutions and actions,” said Mayor Devin Murphy, then Mayor Pro Tem, at the special city council meeting in Pinole on October 10, 2022. “I hope this partnership will continue based on these values.”
Speaking at the special city council meeting in Pinole on October 10, Council Member Anthony Tave emphasized the contract arrangement is about safety, saying, “I’m excited about moving forward. The community deserves it. This is a good thing for Pinole.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for the City of Pinole and west county, which promises to enhance fire and emergency service delivery for the benefit of all residents,” said Pinole Fire Chief Chris Wynkoop. “We look forward to working with city and county stakeholders to finalize the arrangement between our agencies and facilitate the reopening of Station 74. This is a testament to the collaborative efforts among city and county officials, county fire chiefs, labor, and citizens, to address our common goal of providing the highest level of fire and emergency services to residents countywide.”
“I am pleased by the LAFCo decision, along with those of our governing bodies, approving our contract for all fire and EMS services in the City of Pinole,” said Lewis Broschard, fire chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “I look forward to the implementation of this long-studied initiative that will provide more effective, efficient and safer fire and emergency services both in Pinole and also across west county.”
Benefits of the new contract for service arrangement for residents are expected to include more coordinated, cohesive and streamlined fire and emergency services. Another important benefit will be better alignment of firefighting models across districts that could net both increased fire services and improved firefighter safety.
The City of Pinole City Council unanimously approved the contract for service on October 10, 2022. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, acting as the Con Fire Board, unanimously approved a resolution for Con Fire to provide contracted services to the City of Pinole on October 11, 2022. The LAFCo approval, the final step in a multi-layered approval process, occurred in a unanimous decision of commissioners at their November 9 meeting.
Measure X funds are contributing $2 million to the reopening and continued staffing of Fire Station 74.
About Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) – With annexation of the former East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) in July, 2022, Con Fire now provides fire and emergency medical services to more than 750,000 residents in 11 cities and 10 unincorporated areas across our expanded 553 square-mile jurisdiction. Annexation resulted in absorption of the resources and people of the former ECCFPD, adding 294 square miles of service area. The District now comprises 30 fire stations and nearly 500 employees. Through our unique ambulance Alliance, the District delivers EMS and ambulance transport services to much of Contra Costa County. In 2021, the District responded to some 83,000 incidents of all types, including nearly 43,000 fire and EMS emergencies, and dispatched 100,000 ambulances, conducting more than 75,000 ambulance transports. Con Fire remains dedicated to preserving life, property, and the environment.
