Tax approved, Gold Ridge ready to hire firefighters

Thankful Gold Ridge fire officials soon expect to hire three new firefighters, the result of overwhelming voter approval of a parcel tax increase.

The vote was the southern and western Sebastopol fire district's fourth try to raise money from a parcel tax increase since 2002. The last effort, in 2006, lost by only seven votes.

This time, the district asked for a flat $45 per parcel increase. Property owners on Nov. 4 said "yes" by 76 percent, or 4,600 more "yes" votes than "no" votes.

"That feels really good," said Gold Ridge Fire Chief Andy Pforsich.

"We did a lot this time; we were determined," said Al Fiori, chairman of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District board.

The tax increase is expected to bring in about $230,000 a year. But the money won't be available until December 2009, Fiori said.

Board members don't want to wait, taking the election victory as a mandate. The board is expected to vote this month to fund the hires immediately using district reserves, Pforsich said.

"We're going to hire three professional engineers to drive the trucks," Fiori said.

If approved, the firefighters could be on staff by January and will enable the Hessel station to be staffed round-the-clock.

The Gold Ridge district encompasses a bucolic swath of the west Sonoma County, from Freestone to Cotati. Without full staffing, the 75-square-mile fire district is covered some days only by one engine from the Twin Hills station and one available from Hessel after volunteers arrive.

Two engines stationed at the Freestone firehouse are staffed strictly by volunteers.

As well as the delay in response time, firefighters are prevented, by rule, from entering buildings until at least one backup unit arrives with two firefighters.

Those issues were a major piece of the election campaign, which apparently resonated with voters, Pforsich said.

It resonated as well with Fiori, who was relieved to be able to fix the situation.

"As a director, I always feel responsible when that 911 call comes in; we have to get a truck out the door now," said Fiori, who has served on fire district boards in the county about 50 years and served as a volunteer for about 35 years.

Pforsich called the $45-per-year fee a deal for the improved service.

"There's not too many things anymore where $45 makes that kind of difference," Pforsich said.

Fiori and Pforsich credited their win in large part to the different way they ran this campaign, versus campaigns of 2002, 2004 and 2006.

This time, the board decided to run a more professional campaign and hired veteran political consultant Herb Williams.

The district paid $14,000 for a survey, and Williams helped officials focus on issues most important to voters, including unstaffed time at the Hessel station, Pforsich said.

The campaign cost $34,000, about half of which came from fund-raisers. About $4,000 was the consultant's fee.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.