Fire board takes next step toward pact for services

Ross Valley fire officials are clear to begin negotiating terms for a shared services agreement with the Central Marin Fire Department.

The Ross Valley department has been in contract with Marin County Fire Department for administrative and executive services since 2018. Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber has been leading the Ross Valley department under that agreement. The contract ends June 30.

The Ross Valley fire board directed its staff Wednesday to pursue the partnership with the Central Marin department over the next several months. The plan aims to have the leadership transition in place before the agreement with the county ends.

“The important piece here is that, we, the Ross Valley Fire Department, had to work through our business and due diligence before we have any formal discussion with Central Marin fire,” Weber said. “Other than expressing their willingness, there have been no formal agreements with Central Marin. The board's direction this week allows us to open up that dialogue.”

The Ross Valley Fire Department is a consolidated department serving Ross, San Anselmo, Sleepy Hollow and Fairfax. The department serves about 24,785 people with nine firefighters on duty daily working out of four fire stations.

The Ross Valley board hired the consulting firm Local Motion Solutions to advise on options, which included the hiring of a new chief or a shared services model with neighboring organizations.

“We need to have a plan that we could move quickly with, to ensure a similar or better level of service.”

— Steve Burdo, Ross Valley fire board

Local Motion Solutions was represented by Adam Politzer, the former city manager of Sausalito and a recent interim town manager in Fairfax, and Jim Irving, a former Southern Marin Fire Protection District chief.

Irving said they studied several options for a new governance and leadership to carry the department forward. After presenting options to the councils representing Ross Valley members over the past month, Irving said they recommend the fire board focus immediately on the leadership change.

The two models that appeared to be viable included hiring a new fire chief, or a shared services agreement with the Central Marin Fire Department that could potentially lead to a new joint powers governance arrangement.

They said a pact between