Engine 10 from Graham St. in Lake Elsinore was the first responder to what appeared to be a medical emergency in the Towne Center Wednesday; AMR ambulance service arrived shortly after Engine 10. It has been reported the new contracts won't be effective until October 1. Photo by Bob Ireland.
County, Elsinore, Menifee approve fire contracts
Earlier this week, the County of Riverside Board of Supervisors and the Lake Elsinore and Menifee City Councils approved the contracts that will allow the City of Canyon Lake to receive automatic fire and emergency medical response from Stations 94 and 97 in Lake Elsinore and Station 5 in Menifee (Quail Valley) for a period of one year.
The City of Canyon Lake has been operating under a Local State of Emergency since July 1, after the City Council chose not to renew the $1.8 million per year (and going up) contract with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire for budgetary reasons.
During this time, American Medical Response ambulance service has been responding to medical emergencies in the community, and when a fire engine has been needed, County Fire Chief John Hawkins told City officials the County was sending the “closest available resource” – which usually turned out to be county engines from Perris, Murrieta or Corona.
Even though the City of Canyon Lake was willing to pay per response from the neighboring stations, the County apparently was not willing to send engines from those stations. Now with the one-year contracts approved, 911 dispatchers automatically will send engines from Lake Elsinore and Menifee.
As part of the agreement, the City will be paying $1.15 million for a total of five personnel divided between the cities of Lake Elsinore and Menifee, as well as administrative support from the County of Riverside. Station 60, however, will remained closed until Canyon Lake’s municipal fire station is up and running.
For more information about the new Fire Services contracts, visit www.cityofcanyonlake.org.
April 19, 2024