Tri-City area Fire Department one day?
By Matt Artz
Friday, April 17th, 2009 at 10:21 am in Uncategorized.
Some interesting information in a Newark staff report for next week’s council meeting.
Newark has given up on combining fire departments with Union City. Too expensive and unpopular with the unions, according to the report.
But it still can’t afford to keep its own department of very well-paid firefighters without some help so it has turned to other options including Fremont. Here’s where it gets interesting:
In accordance with this direction, Citygate (the consultant) focused their efforts in Phase II by contacting the City of Fremont to determine their level of interest in participating in regional fire protection and refining the information provided by ALCO. Fremont staff indicated that they were interested in discussing scenarios that may be in the best interest of all involved parties. As a result, discussions occurred between the City Managers of Newark, Union City and Fremont, as well as a series of facilitated meetings and discussions among the Fire Chiefs from Newark, Union City, Alameda County, and Fremont.The Phase II analysis and the operational discussions focused on the possibility of a fire service model for the City of Newark that shows the potential to reduce current fire service costs while providing Newark with the means to meet SOC level staffing. This model involves a contract for fire protection with the Alameda County Fire Department with a “fee for service” contract with the City of Fremont for the use of a fire company (e.g., truck, engine, and/or Battalion Chief).
Reading the entire staff report, it looks like Newark is going to try to contract with the County Fire Department and Fremont, not form a regional fire department like they have in San Mateo County. But it’s interesting that that all three cities have been talking about fire. Fremont and Union City still have bad blood from their fire department divorce several years back. Newark City Manager John Becker would have to do his best Anwar Sadat impersonation to ever get those two cities back in bed together.
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
April 18th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Speaking of fire. I took these photos on Saturday after an explosion and fire racked a Lippert St. home. Notice in the photos that the garage door was blown across the street and that the garage is almost totally destroyed.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=hippycritter&target=ALBUM&id=5326244487227176385&authkey=Gv1sRgCIOe-4r78KrHEA&feat=email
April 20th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Tom Brokaw has an op-ed in today’s N.Y. Times entitled Small-Town Big Spending. Here’s an excerpt:
It’s estimated that New York State has about 10,500 local government entities, from townships to counties to special districts. A year ago a bipartisan state commission said that New Yorkers could save more than a billion dollars a year by consolidating and sharing local government responsibilities like public security, health, roads and education.
Makes sense to me.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Fire and explosion on Camphor street. I had orignally stated that this fire was on Lippert. Only found a reference in SFgate even though it destroyed the house and the concussion sound was heard a mile away
April 21st, 2009 at 6:53 am
No way there would be a tri-city fight over which city
April 21st, 2009 at 7:00 am
There would only be a TRi-City fight over who gets the
April 21st, 2009 at 7:08 am
There would only be a Tri-City fight over who gets the
most of the what would be Tri-money? Does Newark need as much as Fremont or Union City which Double Newarks land mass.
Newark will sitting ther with hand out for a equal share that is for sure!!
Sorry will not work..
April 21st, 2009 at 7:09 am
Sorry dam lap top
April 21st, 2009 at 9:46 am
I think a unified fire department would greatly benefit the tricity area, especially in an earthquake or terror event.
April 21st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I just heard from somebody who should know that Fremont Fire just moved into new offices in the Capitol complex and purchased some pretty fancy new office furniture. Must be nice.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want to be protected by “lowest bidder” firefighters; however, it does seem like a bad time to invest in creature comforts that do not contribute directly to public service.
I’d love to hear a justification for this expenditure of public funds, if anybody out there has one.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:56 am
I’d think geography it is best intrest for Fremont newark and union city to be one dept. And leave Alco fire out. If there is a house fire in alvarado blvd uc area it would be the 3 closest engines a ladder truck and a bc (Fremont/union city) appratus to respond. If that same senerio would happen today all of union city units would be in use as long with a Newark engine to respond. Causing a delay in it’s response time