Olivehurst loses 24-hour fire staffing

Residents in historic Olivehurst may have a longer wait for emergency services, after the Olivehurst Public Utility District's board voted to cut full-time 24-hour fire service.

By voting Thursday night to lay off two fire captains and post openings for two part-time firefighters, the board bowed to economic realities making a continuous Fire Department an impossibility.

"It's difficult, and it's definitely not what we wanted to have happen," said Olivehurst Fire Chief Wade Harrison, who along with a part-time office clerk is for now the only permanent Fire Department employee.

OPUD directors said they had little choice after property owners voted against a proposal in June to raise a fire assessment and keep the department solvent. The original assessment, approved in 2003, wasn't indexed to inflation and wasn't enough for the department to meet costs, particularly as other sources of revenue, such as property taxes, have declined in recent years.

General Manager Tim Shaw said how fire service would be structured now is still in flux, but it's likely Olivehurst's fire station will only be manned about half the time it is now.

"We may need to make adjustments as time goes on," he said.

In practice, Harrison said, the station being closed at times means response times for fires or medical emergencies could be significantly longer, because volunteer firefighters will need to go from their homes to the station before going out on a call.

"A minute one way or another can make a difference between saving someone's life or stopping a fire before it totally gets a house," he said.

Property owners may also face higher fire insurance premiums as a result of 24-hour service ending. Shaw said the board also voted not to levy the assessment on property owners this year.

Directors investigated turning off some streetlights to funnel more money to fire services, Shaw said, but dropped it Thursday when the savings appeared to be negligible.

Because Pacific Gas & Electric Co. owns the lampposts and has two separate charges for them, turning off lights would've saved only on one of those charges, Shaw said.

"The district is not giving up the ghost on fire service," he said.

Harrison said he is hopeful when the economy recovers the district can put more tax revenues into the Fire Department again.

Olivehurst residents who learned of the move Friday weren't happy with what it will mean.

"It'll be a shame if we don't have it anymore," said Kelly Fisher, 42, who recalled a prompt fire engine response when her daughter cut her head open a few years ago. "It's worth it to pay a little more in taxes to keep it going."

As she got mail at the post office on Olivehurst Avenue, Karen Simeroth, 40, shook her head.

"That's crazy," she said. "What's Olivehurst supposed to do?"

CONTACT reporter Ben van der Meer at 749-4786.