East CoCo County Residents Push for More Firefighters
BRENTWOOD (KPIX) -- Some fed-up East Contra Costa County neighbors are turning to voters to fix their fire departments' slow response times.
They want to pass an initiative to force the city of Brentwood to fund the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD).
The group of volunteers with East County Voters for Equal Protection started this week to try to collect roughly 5,000 signatures from registered Brentwood voters.
That would qualify their petition for the November ballot. And, if the measure passes, which takes 50 percent plus one vote, that would require Brentwood to set aside money to fund the department. Currently, ECCFPD is primarily funded through property taxes.
"Right now, if you were to have a heart attack, there's a chance you would not get help," said Rob Broocker, a member of East County Voters for Equal Protection.
That's because experts say ECCFPD doesn't have enough firefighters.
"It's beyond frustrating. I was a fireman for 30 years. What's happening out here is criminal, it's criminal," said Broocker, a retired Santa Clara County firefighter.
The district has closed down five fire stations in recent years. It relies on the remaining three stations to cover about 250 square miles, from Oakley to Brentwood, all the way out to Discovery Bay. The district population is roughly 120,000 people.
"I have a wife and three children that are on these roads. I have a house out here. They're not protected. To be honest with you, I feel safer in Mexico," Broocker worried.
The group of volunteers wore shirts that read "no new taxes" on one side and "save lives" on the other side.
"This measure doesn't involve new taxes. It just sets policy for the City of Brentwood," said Bryan Scott, the founder of East County Voters for Equal Protection.
East County voters have struck down three tax measures in recent years that would have funded the department and prevented the layoffs of firefighters. Some voters blame mismanagement.
One voter refused to sign the petition and told the volunteers, "I think (the fire department has) enough firefighters. The pension is killing us."
ECCFPD relies on neighboring agencies, like Confire, on a daily basis to help respond to emergency calls. ECCFPD chief Brian Helmick said some response times are more than 20 minutes.
"We're in a grave situation. We're not able to provide adequate fire protection. We're getting overrun operationally. We are not sustainable operationally. Our response times continue to get worse," Helmick said.
The chief is not ready to endorse the community-led petition. He wants to study it to make sure the petition would provide sustainable funding but he is happy people are trying to help.
