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Home My WebLink About08.22.25 Dot Morris Public Comment_ FW_ FS 38 - 8_26_2025 Agenda Item 4.7 Public Comment.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.. From:Clerk of the Board To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Krater, Sharleen; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug Cc:Sjolund, Garrett; Harvey-Butterfield, Briana Subject:Public Comment: FW: FS 38 - 8/26/2025 Agenda Item 4.7 Public Comment Date:Friday, August 22, 2025 9:01:12 AM Attachments:Station 38 BOS Letter 8_21_2025.pdf Please see public comment From: Dot Morris <dotmorris1@yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2025 7:27 PM To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net> Cc: ICE2 Moak <pmoak19@gmail.com>; Robert and Judy Saville <robertandjudys@gmail.com> Subject: FS 38 - 8/26/2025 Agenda Item 4.7 Public Comment Please see attached letter to the Board regarding Fire Station 38, Agenda Item 4.7. Thank you, Dot Morris Chair, Concow Community Citizens Committee PO Box 4069 Yankee Hill, CA 95965 1.530.864.4681 1 of 6 August 21,2025 To: Bute County Board of Supervisors From: Dot Morris, Chair, Concow Community Ci�zens Commitee (CCCC) Subject: Future of Fire Sta�on 38 – Concow Basin and Volunteer Fire Company 37 (CO37) Dear Supervisors, This leter documents our thoughts regarding the future of Fire Sta�on 38, located centrally in the Concow Basin at the intersec�on of Concow Rd and Ishi Trail. The primary concern is ﬁre and EMT service levels for the Concow Basin and Jordan Hill/Granite Ridge areas of the greater Concow geography. (Ref ADDENDUM A - MAP OF THE AREA). Please note that both Sta�on 37 (at Concow Rd and Hwy 70) and Sta�on 38 were built, funded, and primarily maintained by Concow area residents and land owners who donated money, �me, equipment and supplies. They were built because the residents understood that ﬁre and EMT support was a need for the community, and, due to geography, travel �me and popula�on dispersion – a sta�on in the Concow Basin, as well as one near Hwy 70, was appropriate. Sta�on 38 (FS38) Informa�on The land was donated, structure built and primarily maintained by the Golden Feather Volunteer Fire Company (GFVFC) and community residents. FS38 is a 2 story structure with training/mee�ng room, bathroom, ﬁre engine, and tanker storage: • Water access is via a 10,000 gallon tank, as well as several dra�ing loca�ons on Concow Lake and Concow Creek • Well, sep�c, 2 access roads, electricity and propane, level ground parking/staging, excellent internet & cell coverage • The structure has been upgraded structurally, as well as surrounding hardscape, over the past 2 years using funds from the NVCF and community dona�ons (reference public comment submission from Peggy Moak for details). • Note: The County has provided minimal maintenance over the years, other than replacing the rooﬁng and exterior paint ~15 years ago. Usage Support during and a�er 2 major ﬁres (along with several smaller ones!) in the Concow Basin: • 2008: over 200 structures burnt; used as a staging loca�on, water access and storage area. • 2018: post ﬁre, used for storage of supplies, water, etc., and provided a training and mee�ng place for volunteers and ﬁreﬁghters Central loca�on of sand and sand bag distribu�on during winter rains Un�l recently, Fire Engine and/or water tender vehicle storage Historically, Sta�on 37 and 38 have operated in tandem, with the water tender garaged at FS38 – which was closest to the driver ’s residence. FS38 Service Area – Demographics, Fire and Medical incidents We con�nue to have small ﬁres that break out in the Concow Basin. Quick response by trained personnel and water is cri�cal to prevent these small ﬁres from becoming large, poten�ally devasta�ng ﬁres. Prevailing winds in the Concow Basin have strengthened signiﬁcantly since the 2008 and 2018 ﬁres, with the decima�on of the forest on the surrounding 2 of 6 terrain. These winds can make ﬁres expand very quickly, jeopardizing not just the Concow Basin, but all surrounding areas, as evidenced in the 2018 Camp Fire. With climate change and the devasta�ng ﬁres, the fuel load in and surrounding the Concow Basin area has increased signiﬁcantly – our area is now full of par�ally burned downed trees overladen with oily brush like scotch broom and ceanothus. The response �me for incidents within the Concow Basin through Jordan Hill Rd is greatly improved when the ﬁre truck and water tender is garaged at Fire Sta�on 38, saving approximately 30 minutes travel �me for volunteers living in the Basin. In addi�on, there is no impact to response �mes in other parts for the greater Concow Area. The Concow Basin, including the Camelot subdivision, has historically been a rela�vely dense area of popula�on, which is why the community commited to building a second ﬁre sta�on in the basin back in 1980. Although rebuilding eﬀorts post Camp Fire have been slow, this remains an aﬀordable area in which to build, so we an�cipate popula�on growth will con�nue. The Camelot Owners Associa�on is also working hard to restore their lands and atract residents wishing to build, or rebuild. Fi�y homes were lost in that subdivision, alone, and there is signiﬁcant room for popula�on growth with 250 lots available. Having a Fire Sta�on in the immediate vicinity has always been important to the residents in those areas. In the mean�me, there are a number of property owners and other residents who are living in the subdivision, and in the Hoﬀman Rd - Cirby Creek Rd areas, where there have been a high number of recent incidents, including ﬁres. Volunteers and Fire Sta�on 38 The number of volunteer ﬁre personnel has varied over the years. A�er the 2008 ﬁre, the GFVFC volunteer force diminished to 2 volunteers - one of whom lived in the Concow Basin and was cer�ﬁed to drive the water tender; therefore, the tender was garaged at Fire sta�on 38 up through the Camp Fire. Unfortunately, the 1 cer�ﬁed driver lost her home in the ﬁre and moved from the area, resul�ng in the Tender being relocated to various loca�ons throughout the county un�l a new driver became available. In 2019, Bute County Fire wanted to close Fire Sta�on 38 even though 37 was destroyed in the ﬁre. Community members advocated for it to remain open, and Bute County Fire agreed to do so; although it was clear that they intended to close it once Fire Sta�on 37 was rebuilt. Based on the small volunteer component at the �me, that seemed reasonable. Current Demographics and the Volunteer Fire Company (CO37) Since the ini�al decision in 2019 to close FS38, condi�ons and facts have changed. • As a result of reloca�ng equipment to FS37 in 2024, Concow Basin incident response �me has increased by ~30 minutes due to distance, a narrow, twisty road, steep climbs and descents, traﬃc, etc. • Popula�on in the Concow Basin is recovering • Volunteer Fire Fighters have grown from 1 to 7, with most of them living in the Basin • There are 2 ﬁre equipment drivers, a 3rd one pending. All 3 live in the Concow Basin – within 1 mile of Sta�on 38 • At least 50% of incident callouts are to areas best serviced by FS38 • The FS38 structure has been refurbished and surrounding hardscape improved for maintainability. Community Input Our community is aware of the change to their service levels and response �mes. The reac�on from the residents has been one of concern and support to keep FS 38 open and equipped with a Fire Engine and Water Tender. In a community-wide phone outreach and writen survey, residents expressed strong support for restoring public safety response �mes to what was achievable when ﬁre and medical equipment was sta�oned at FS38. Reference ATTACHMENT B. (Resident names responding to the outreach process are available if desired). 3 of 6 Costs County staﬀ provided FS38 costs for 2023, and these are likely representa�ve for 2024, though, through community eﬀort the u�li�es may have decreased due to replacement of a leaking propane tank. Ongoing costs are typically for u�li�es, pest and weed abatement. The structure itself is in excellent physical condi�on due to the work performed as part of the resolu�on before the Board. Incident History – Callouts Serviced by CO37 • A history of incidents within the area that were serviced by CO37 has been obtained and ini�al analysis completed (reference Addendum B). The data shows a 50% of Engine 637 and 59% of Water Tender callouts were to the Concow Basin, with a few more in Jordan Hill/Granite Ridge. (Reference ATTACHMENT C) • As for medical calls, we have a signiﬁcant popula�on of aging, medically fragile and low-income residents. • Medical responses comprise the greatest number of incidents, and having �mely access to the equipment is a cri�cal capability. • As with all emergencies, response �me is cri�cal to the success of the mission to enhance public safety through the Volunteer Program. In Summary… RESPONSE TIME MATTERS! IT’S FIRE SEASON! ENABLE OUR VOLUNTEERS TO BETTER SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY. Make an Informed Decision Based on Current Data. House a Fire Engine and Water Tender Nearest to the Drivers - at FS38 The primary purpose of having volunteers is to augment Cal Fire sta�on 36 in a �mely manner. This is why our local residents are commited to the volunteer program, including a volunteer ﬁre sta�on, equipped with an engine and tender, in the Concow Basin. We would also advocate for equipment to be housed at FS37 (as originally done by the community prior to County assuming management of the Volunteer program). We understand that Bute County Fire wishes to acquire a new ﬁre engine for use in this area. If that occurs, we respec�ully request considera�on for reten�on of the exis�ng FE637, which would provide an engine for both FS37 and FS38, as well as redundancy to either sta�on when needed. Requested Ac�on from the Board of Supervisors: Direct County Staﬀ to add an item at the soonest possible date to the Board Agenda to vote on housing emergency equipment (engine and water tender) at Fire Sta�on 38. Sincerely, Dot Morris Chair, Concow Community Ci�zens Commitee CC: Sarah Salisbury, CCCC Member Amanda Pyle, CCCC Member Peggy Moak, CCCC Member Golden Feather Volunteer Fire Company Board of Directors 4 of 6 ADDENDUM A: MAP OF CONCOW AREA: BASIN, JORDAN HILL/GRANITE RIDGE AND PARTS OF YANKEE HILL, BIG BEND Notes: • Local roads are gravel other than Concow, Big Bend, Pinkston Canyon and Nelson Bar roads • Majority of Concow Basin popula�on is north of FS 38 with Rag Dump being the last occupied home – 10 miles beyond the lake • Smaller local roads are shown to provide context…lines are not precise. 5 of 6 ADDENDUM B: SURVEY RESULTS 6 of 6 ADDENDUM C: 2018 – 2023 CO37 CALLS: CONCOW BASIN & JORDAN HILL/GRANITE RIDGE (JH/GR) Note: 2024 data not provided. An�cipate calls to be medical vs. ﬁre YTD In past 3 years ~50% of Fire Engine CO37) calls were for the Concow Basin (and a few in Jordan Hill/Granite Ridge No data provided as to why 2020 is 0. In past 4 years ~59% on average of Water Tender calls were for the Concow Basin – preven�ng small ﬁres from ge�ng larger. Tender was re-assigned to another area intermitently which may have aﬀected the