The Pinole Fire Department has been providing service to the City of Pinole, the surrounding unincorporated areas of Tara Hills, Bayview, Montara Bay and the northern Alhambra Valley for over forty years. The total population served is approximately 27,000. In 2010, our members responded to over 2,300 calls for service, including fires, rescues and cardiac incidents. In addition they assisted in wildland incidents and other mutual aid calls, helping our neighbors in Western Contra Costa and Northern and Southern California.
We recently signed a historic contract with the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District to oversee the fire and administrative operations of the fire department. This was made possible by a Regional Fire Services Study and the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (FEMA). We are hopeful that this arrangement will be a harbinger of continued public partnerships that will result in an efficient fire protection model that serves all three areas well into the future.
The Pinole Fire Department and the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District participate in Battalion 7 which is a regional cooperative agreement between our agencies and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. This is a resource sharing agreement that provides a 24 hour battalion chief and staffed fire stations to respond into Rodeo, Hercules, Pinole, El Sobrante, San Pablo and North Richmond.
The City of Pinole and the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District were successful in receiving nearly $1,000,000 in grant funding that allows us to develop and train personnel, make energy efficient improvements, and continue our co-sharing agreement. In addition Alameda and Contra Costa counties are linking their communication systems. This one time funding source will meet required improvements to the interoperability and capability of our emergency radios.
As we progress, we intend to bring a fresh perspective and use enterprising methods to meet the challenges facing the fire department. We will continue to work with our community partners to provide the highest level of safety to the neighborhoods we proudly serve.
