Redistrict V Kla August 20, 2024 Honorable Kelly Neel, Presiding Judge Humboldt County Superior Court*

The Arcata Fire Protection District can no longer invest in the Vehicle Replacement Fun to purchase new engines. This results in high maintenance costs for old equipment and periods of time when engines are out of service. (R1, R2, R3) The AFPD Board agrees, in part, with this finding. The District has a vehicle replacement fund that is sufficient for staff and utility vehicles. District revenues are not sufficient to contribute enough for the purchase of an engine or aerial ladder truck.

Current staffing and equipment of the Arcata Fire District is not sufficient to respond to service calls. Increased population and higher structures in the District, including those at California Polytechnic University, Humboldt will result in greater danger and risk to people and property. (R1, R2, R3) The AFPD Board agrees, in part, with this finding. The District is currently funded to operate 3 stations and 3 fire engines, each staffed with only two firefighters per engine. The industry standard is to staff fire engines with a minimum of three firefighters. Aerial ladder trucks are staffed with a minimum of four firefighters. The District does not have funding to purchase or staff a ladder truck. The current staffing is not sufficient to respond to a single family residential or first floor commercial building fire. Response to this type of incidence is accomplished with automatic aid and mutual aid agreements with adjacent fire protection agencies, many of whom are unpaid citizen volunteers with varying levels of training and experience. A fire in the mid-rise 7 floor residential dorms under construction at Cal Poly Humboldt and mixed-use buildings envisioned in Arcata's Gateway Area Plan, would exceed the capacity of AFPD and mutual aid partners. As an example, staging for potential fire on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus during the recent protests involved bringing the Fortuna ladder truck to the McKinleyville Station and engines and firefighters from Sonoma County. Arrival of these resources would not be timely for a major fire or emergency such as a high magnitude earthquake or mass casualty event. Further, while in mid-rise structures like the Cal Poly Humboldt dorms the focus is on "fire', there are also low to medium risk, medium to high frequency events that displace residents and become a challenge for fire agency response resources. For example in mid-rise college dormitories broken-off sprinklers heads take several engine and truck companies to mitigate the emergency.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt receives services from, but is not required to financially contribute to the Arcata Fire District. This results in the Arcata Fire District provided services without receiving compensation, further diminishing Arcata Fire District resources. (R1, R2, R3) The AFPD Board agrees, in part, with this finding. Cal Poly Humboldt does not pay the ad-velorem property tax that Fire District property owners pay as a portion of their property tax. Cal Poly Humboldt does pay a proportionally small portion of what District taxpayers pay, the 2006 Benefit Assessment and 2020 Measure F special tax. For FY 23/24, Cal Poly Humboldt was billed for 38 parcels. Between the 2006 Benefit Assessment and 2020 Measure F Special Tax, Cal Poly Humboldt paid a total of $20,896. In the opinion of the Board of Directors, Cal Poly Humboldt's nominal financial contributions for Fire District services is disproportional to the amounts local citizen property owners are paying for the services.

The Measure F Special Tax will expire in 2030 which will eliminate over thirty percent of current Arcata Fire District revenue. A loss of that much income will force the Arcata Fire District to reduce staff and services, increasing the risk of personal injury and property damage during calls for emergency services. (R1, R2,

The 2006 Benefit Assessment Tax is not indexed to rise with inflation, resulting in the Benefit Assessment Tax becoming an increasingly insufficient source of revenue. This can result in a reduction in service and deterioration of Arcata Fire District facilities and capabilities to handle emergency calls. (R1, R2, R3) The AFPD Board agrees with this finding. The outdated Benefit Assessment is based on the cost of doing business in 2006. Using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as a guide, the 2023 Benefit Assessment revenue would be 2,150,000 rather than 1,400,000 if indexed to inflation. This would be sufficient to staff at least one station with three firefighters on an engine each shift.

The Arcata Fire District, with the cooperation of the City of Arcata and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, formed a working group and hired a consultant to develop a Standards of Cover report. The findings of this study will guide the Arcata Fire District in developing procedures and standards for ensuring and improving Arcata Fire District public safety. (R4) The AFPD Board agrees, in part, with this finding. The Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover (CRA/SOC) findings will provide a basis for the AFPD Board to seek appropriate station, staffing, and equipment for the District. District constituents using voter approved funding will ultimately determine the level of staffing that can be accomplished. City of Arcata, Cal Poly Humboldt, and Humboldt County zoning/land use authorities hold the responsibility of determining whether their policies and plans are within the Fire District's service capacity. If Cal Poly Humboldt, the City of Arcata and Humboldt County approve construction and occupancy of buildings whose height and mass exceed District response capacity the District lacks authority to stop them.