Elfin Forest / Harmony Grove Fire Department Inc.

County Service Area 107 – Elfin Forest

  

Wednesday  February 28, 2007

  

RESOLUTION:  2007 1.1.07 

  

ON MOTION of Director Ken Dubs, seconded by Director Byron Macfarlane, the following resolution is adopted:

 

WHEREAS, County Service Area 107 – Elfin Forest, is a County Service Area, provides fire and medical services and maintains a largely volunteer staff;

 

WHEREAS, the County of San Diego is proposing a change in the structure and governance of fire and emergency medical services in the unincorporated San Diego County; and

 

WHEREAS, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors directed LAFCO to study the Reorganization of Structural Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services in Unincorporated San Diego County; and

 

WHEREAS, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors directed the Department of Planning and Land Use to create a Conceptual Reorganization of San Diego County Fire Services.

 

 

IT IS HEREBY FOUND THAT:

 

a)     The Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Advisory Board supports the findings of the Micro Report that states on page 48 of that report that, “CSA 107 (Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove) is geographically isolated from other territory that would be consolidated within Phase 1.”  The board further supports the finding on the same page that states; “The Districts remoteness could possibly produce service and coordination issues with a Phase I regional agency…”

 

b)     In 2004, the North Zone fire agencies retained Emergency Services Consulting Inc. to develop what became the North Zone Fire Effectiveness and Regionalization Study.  The study released in March of 2006 recommended the consolidation of the Fire Departments of Solana Beach and Del Mar.  The report also recommended the consolidation of Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District and CSA 107 Elfin Forest.

 

c)     For the last two years the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department has been developing a mechanism with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District (FPD), the Cities of Del Mar and Solana Beach, for CSA 107 to become a part of the Rancho Santa Fe Fire District or a member of a potential Joint Powers Authority.

 

Resolution 2007 1.1.07                                                                                                                                             Page 1 of  3

  

 

Elfin Forest / Harmony Grove Fire Department Inc.

County Service Area 107 – Elfin Forest

  

 

d)     The area of CSA 107, Rancho Santa Fe FPD, and the cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar is approximately 60 square miles.  This 60 square mile area is an island surrounded by cities and has no common border with other unincorporated Phase I volunteer departments, CSA’s and districts.  The demographics of the areas are similar in that they share for the most part common schools and boundaries, and have both areas of rural estate and higher density housing.

 

e)     The 2020 plan clearly shows a preference for higher density in areas west of I-15.  CSA 107 is experiencing continued growth and is becoming more urban than the other Phase 1 areas.  For example the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department is working with developers who are in process of developing one hundred and fifty, two hundred and fifty, and seven hundred and fifty home developments in CSA107.  Our town council was recently presented a proposed additional development, called University Heights, which could add as many as 1200 addition homes.  These new residents will expect the same levels of advanced life support services (ALS) provided by paramedics and ALS transport services in this area, which are not part of the County Conceptual Reorganization of Fire Services Plan for CSA 107.  The department is also in negotiations for a second station in the Harmony Grove area, which will have paid paramedic firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians volunteers.

 

f)      North Comm, the EMD dispatch JPA center for most of the north Zone Fire Agencies, dispatches the department.  The Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department has adopted the North Zone Training and Emergency Operations Manual and participates in North Zone joint training exercises.  It makes little sense to have the department dispatched by another agency, which would add a delayed response when giving or receiving automatic aid.

 

g)     The Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department participates in joint projects such as the North Zone video conferencing system for training and is an active participant in the Zone mapping and MDC’s, (Mobile Data Computer System), project which will add common mapping and data to computer terminals in the North Zone engines which will allow the identification of the closest engine to an incident.  

 

h)     The North Zone Agencies have automatic aid with each other, share the Rancho Santa Fe training tower, and have a number of common personal protective equipment and minor equipment purchase specification agreements.

 

i)       Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove residents support the guiding principle behind the LAFCO Micro Report and the County Conceptual Plan that is the improvement of fire and emergency medical services by improving command and control, communications, pooling equipment purchases and standardizing training and emergency operations.  The Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department embraces these goals and is an active participant within the North Zone to attain these goals.

 

j)       It only makes sense that CSA 107 (Elfin Forest/ Harmony Grove), be moved to Phase II and all existing funds and future revenue recommended by the LAFCO Micro Report continue to be used to provide the superior service demanded by the Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove residents.

  

Resolution 2007 1.1.07                                                                                                                                            
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Elfin Forest / Harmony Grove Fire Department Inc.

County Service Area 107 – Elfin Forest

 

  

IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED THAT:

  

1)     The Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Advisory Board directors, request that County Service Area, CSA 107 (Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove) as well as all existing funding and future revenue recommended by the LAFCO Micro report for CSA 107, be removed from Phase I and be placed in Phase II of the LAFCO Micro Report.

 

2)     The Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Advisory Board Directors, request that County Service Area, CSA 107- Elfin Forest, as well as all existing funding and future revenue, remain with CSA 107- Elfin Forest and CSA 107- Elfin Forest be removed from any and all actions of  DPLU’s Conceptual Reorganization of San Diego County Fire Services.

  

Passed and Adopted by the County Service Area 107 – Elfin Forest, Fire Advisory Board and the Elfin Forest / Harmony Grove Fire Department Inc. Board of Directors on this day of February 28, 2007, by the following vote:

 

AYES:            7

NOES:           0

ABSENT:       0

 

Rob Hill                                                                       Secretary                                                                               

 

Nona T. Barker

Chairwoman/President

 

Robert Kephart                                                                       

Vice Chairman/Vice President                                                 

 

Byron Macfarlane

Treasurer

 

Michael Holmes                                                                      

Director                                                                                  

 

Bob McGurk

Director

 

Ken Dubs                                                                               

Director                                                                                  

 

Frank Twohy

Fire Chief                                                        

 

Resolution 2007 1.1.07                                                                                                                                            

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