Felton Fire Protection District Reaches Agreement With Zayante Fire, As Negotiations With CalFire Continue

The Felton Fire Protection District continues to look for ways to stay afloat amid financial turmoil and staff shortages, and its board has set up a more direct line of communication with the Zayante Fire Protection District to request coverage if needed. At the board’s meeting Monday night, it approved that arrangement with Zayante.

The Zayante station is just two miles from Felton, and the two protection districts have a “reciprocal service agreement,” meaning the two districts will compensate each other when one is required to respond to the other’s calls. Importantly, the district plans to set up a new direct line of communication with Zayante to alert the district when Felton knows it can’t respond to calls due to staffing shortages. Board member Norm Crandell likened the agreement to a “bat phone.”

Felton will also pay Zayante the same rate his volunteers receive per call, which is between $12 and $20 per call, depending on position and rank, and vice versa if Zayante needs Felton to cover calls.

“It just heightens their awareness, so if they need to do any pre-planning, they have time to do it,” said board chairman Jim Anderson.

The purpose of the agreement is to provide additional coverage to the Felton Fire Protection District as it moves toward a shared services agreement with Cal Fire — a contract that consolidates or combines services across jurisdictions. In recent years, the Felton Fire District has struggled to carry out its day-to-day operations, largely due to difficulties finding volunteers. However, Anderson said there has been no movement on that front — but the district is ready when the time comes.

“As soon as they are ready, we will sign their agreement,” he said.

The district, which consists solely of the town of Felton, has historically been a volunteer district. That means it is primarily staffed by trained volunteers who work alongside professional staff. It currently has only two full-time fire captains and two full-time firefighters. Volunteers are paid on demand and typically take over night shifts. However, the district has struggled to find volunteers from the small pool it has been able to choose from, putting nighttime coverage at risk.

In addition to entering into a shared services agreement, the district is currently drafting a local ballot measure to raise money, perhaps a bond measure or property tax, to support the Felton Fire Protection District’s paid staff without additional outside help. However, a ballot measure likely won’t pass for another year.