A big red fire engine did bring Santa to the tree-lighting ceremonies this year, but it wasn’t Canyon Lake’s familiar Engine 60. Station 60 is still closed.
As the City of Canyon Lake continues to research the possibility of having its own fire department by next year at this time, officials recently issued a Request for Proposal for Fire Department Consulting Services that can be read at cityofcanyonlake.org. Proposals are due at City Hall by Monday, January 4.
According to the RFP document, the City will attempt to negotiate an agreement with the highest-ranking firm to provide the specified services. Evaluation will be made on the basis of the criteria noted below. Criteria are listed in random sequence and are not considered in any rank or order of importance.
According to the RFP document, the City’s primary focus is to develop its own fire department. The purpose of the feasibility analysis would be to review all pertinent issues of starting a fire department, including the financial position of the City, and make a recommendation to the Council on the feasibility of a City- run fire department, with any options regarding contracting out any part of the department for a more cost effective fire department.
The considerations would include start-up costs, staffing, training, equipment, EMS, facility, dispatch, and any other pertinent considerations. This study should identify the needs and costs to accomplish this.
Project tasks shall include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
The RFP document includes a brief history of Canyon Lake, its attempts in recent years to negotiate with CalFire/Riverside County Fire for reduced costs and the reasons Fire Department Consulting Services are sought.
The document says, in part, that “Since the City’s incorporation in 1990, the City had participated in a Master Agreement with Riverside County and CalFire for fire services. This agreement, which provided fire protection services to 21 cities and a Community Services District in Riverside County, utilized CalFire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) resources.
“Costs to the City had risen consistently and precipitously over the years, primarily due to a forced increase in the staffing level on each fire engine as well as pension costs and fixed costs under the Master Agreement. This staffing increase had no legal basis and resulted in deficit spending by the City for many years.
“Canyon Lake is a built-out community with virtually no short-term ability to increase its revenues through economic development . . . In November 2014, the City passed a Utility Users’ Tax (UUT) measure, but this only provides financial ‘breathing room,’ and does not solve long-term fiscal problems of the City.”
The RFP document briefly explains the City’s attempts to resolve contractual and financial issues with County Fire, saying, “Those attempts further degraded during a contractually-obligated mediation wherein the County and CalFire refused to engage in meaningful discussions and made it clear they would not even consider entertaining more realistic options for the City.
“In January 2015, a Declaratory Relief Action was filed by the City and a related lawsuit was filed by the County. In September 2015, both actions were settled by the City and the County, and the City and County entered into a one-year agreement for fire services to be provided to the City by neighboring County Fire stations, leaving the fire station within the City limits empty. Faced with the issues raised by the County, the City has decided to move forward to form its own fire department.”
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