City moves to three-person engine company

At its June 6 meeting, the Canyon Lake City Council approved funds to pay for fire services with Riverside County Fire, which goes into effect July 1.

The city’s current fire services contract with the county for Fiscal Year 2017/2018 costs $1,436,000 for a two-person engine company with paramedic service out of Fire Station 60.

The new fire services contract for Fiscal Year 2018/2019 comes at a cost of $2,204,550. The new contract includes moving from a two-person engine company to a three-person engine company. Paramedic services will still be provided.

“The city council is working diligently on a solution to our spiraling costs of fire services,” said Canyon Lake Mayor Vicki Warren. “Throughout California and indeed our very own Riverside County, the struggle to maintain an appropriate level of services is harder and harder as the costs continue to rise. This one-year extension of the Cal Fire contract was and is necessary to maintain vital fire services while we continue to explore every possible solution for our future needs. The necessity of these services was never more evident than last week with the Wrangler fire and we will continue to fight hard for the safety of our citizens.”