Consolidated, GV Fire May Join Efforts

In an effort to save money and improve response time, firefighters from the Nevada County Consolidated Fire District and the Grass Valley Fire Department could work jointly at the city's fire station on Brighton Street.

Consolidated's board of directors on Thursday agreed to pursue negotiations with the city fire department and to assign three of its fire personnel to the Brighton Street station.

The city's fire board agreed to the concept June 5.

The arrangement would allow Consolidated's administrative offices to move from rented space in the Glenbrook Basin to the Watt Park station near the Nevada County's fairgrounds, resulting in a $16,000-a-year-savings.

Under the arrangement, fire calls to the area now serviced by the Watt Park station, a 12-hour station, could be serviced by a Brighton Street station, which would have enough fire personnel to staff it 24 hours a day.

Calls that now take four or more minutes at night could take less than one minute, Fike said before the meeting.

Altogether the city has on hand only six of 12 fire personnel needed to staff both the Brighton Street station and the new fire station on Sierra College Drive.

The City Council Tuesday included in its budget $93,015 to hire three fire personnel. To obtain the last three fire personnel, the city would then share three Consolidated fire fighters. The Brighton station would respond to both city and Consolidated calls in the evenings and city calls during the day.

Consolidated Fire Chief Tim Fike and Grass Valley Fire Chief Hank Weston both called the arrangement a "win-win" deal.

The arrangement could also save Grass Valley more than $300,000 in staff salary and equipment, Weston said.

The contract will have to be approved by both the Grass Valley City Council and Consolidated's board of directors before the plan can be implemented.

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