Solano County Board of Supervisors

R1

– Solano County and the Solano County Local Agency Formation Commission support immediate funding for the four FPDs. Response to Recommendation 1: This recommendation has been implemented. The County is pursuing several options to address the current state of rural fire protection districts and overall coordination of rural fire protection needs. They include: Reorganization of Districts: The Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution of Application to LAFCO for reorganization of the Cordelia and Vacaville FPD’s and a portion of the Suisun FPD into a single district which corresponds to the most at-risk of wildfire portions of the County. The purpose of the reorganization is to include greater coordination of resources and a unified command structure with administrative cost savings. It is anticipated that the application for reorganization will be heard by LAFCO by early 2022. Purchase of Falls School site: The County acquired this property, a portion of which houses Cordelia Fire District Station #29. The County then continued the lease with the District which was at risk of termination if the school site had been sold to another entity. The site is strategically located for protection of the Green Valley area and western foothills. There is sufficient space available on the site for expanded fire operations should resources become available and a long term plan for use of the property is developed. Active Pursuit of grants: The County received a grant to prepare a Hazard Mitigation Plan which is nearly complete. The completed plan increases opportunities to pursue other grant opportunities for equipment, facilities, and short-term staffing. The County is in line currently for grants to facilitate establishment and coordination of fire safe councils to increase resident communications and planning for evacuations and evacuation routes and creation of defensible spaces. Current grant opportunities total over $1,275,000, and the County is actively preparing to apply for additional grant opportunities as they become available. State Funding: The County has received $1.9 million in State funding that will be utilized for fire monitoring and emergency notification equipment such as sirens, monitoring cameras, more defensible cell tower spaces, and better cellular coverage to rural customers. Increased Weed Abatement Enforcement: The County increased coordination with the districts on weed abatement efforts in response to this year’s dry conditions Exploration of Revenue options: The County is exploring and analyzing options for an ongoing revenue stream in conjunction with district consolidation efforts. An increase in ongoing revenue will be necessary for the districts or a consolidated district to increase full time staff and to expand volunteer training. The County believes the multi-faceted effort noted above represents a comprehensive approach to addressing wildfire risks both in this critically dry season and going forward.

R2

– LAFCO and Solano County separate the more immediate concerns of wildfire exposure and address those with urgency. Response to Recommendation 2 - As noted in the response to recommendation #1 above, as it pertains to the County, this recommendation has been implemented. The County has taken several actions and will continue to pursue numerous options including working with the districts on immediate issues of wildfire risk. Many of these efforts are not dependent on the LAFCO process.