Firefighters come to terms with probable consolidation

Over the past several years, firefighters have struggled with the possibility of the end of the 122-year-old department as an independent entity

The city voted to merge its fire department with Gold Ridge at the April 17 city council meeting. (Photo by Ezra Wallach.)

The evergreen trees at the south end of Libby Park were short enough to toss a frisbee over when Shawn-Paul O’Dell first arrived in Sebastopol. Twenty-three years later, O’Dell sits calmly in a dilapidated gazebo 100 feet from those now towering trees.

In light of the city’s recent decision to merge the 122-year-old Sebastopol Fire Department into the neighboring Gold Ridge Fire District, he is reflecting on his time as a volunteer firefighter.

When consolidation with Gold Ridge was first entertained, Sebastopol’s volunteer firefighters crowded city council meetings to express their concerns. Years later and three weeks ago, just a couple of firefighters showed up to protest the decision at the city council meeting where the proposal was approved.

One of them was O’Dell.

“We had a call years ago,” he said. “I was on the ambulance and we didn't have the staffing, so another ambulance provider showed up to also help out and all these different people came together, we work together, it’s no big deal. And once you take someone to the hospital, you never really get an end. Months go by. I’m sitting at Apple Blossom on the fire truck and some lady goes, ‘Hey, you remember me?’ and I look and I go, ‘No, sorry,’ and her daughter looks at me and goes, ‘Remember me?’ and I go, ‘Oh, last time I saw you you were dead,’ and she laughs.”

O’Dell, fighting back tears, continued.

“The ability to make a difference and the trust our citizens give us to help them, that’s a huge honor. They don’t care if our title is volunteer or career [firefighter]. They just know that we are going to be there.”

More tears. Then, bitterness.

“You trust me to drive a half-million dollar fire engine, you trust me going to people's houses and having access to their personal information and lives, but you don't trust me with a credit card to buy toilet paper?” he questioned in reference to the lack of financial support provided by the city coupled with their increased oversight—both of which have impelled the city’s fire staff to purchase equipment out of their own pocket in recent years.

“For a long time, if something was broken, we fixed it. Then all of a sudden nothing got done. Everything started falling apart.”

O’Dell’s annoyance at the merger stems not from animosity towards Gold Ridge’s staff or operations. Rather, he is simply confused at how exactly the consolidation will be more effective and economical for the people of Sebastopol than if the city itself properly supported its fire department.

For example, if the consolidation is completed, Gold Ridge would expand their parcel tax to all of Sebastopol’s property-owners, generating an additional $1.1 million that will be pooled with the rest of Gold Ridge’s revenue. Touted in Gold Ridge’s proposal and the Fire Ad Hoc Committee’s report as one of the main reasons for consolidation, some have questioned why the city could not have imposed its own parcel tax.

In response to these concerns, Gold Ridge Fire Chief Schroth-Cary, whose known O’Dell for years and whose wife used to coach O’Dell’s daughter in basketball, said that the additional revenue will be more or less reinvested in the Sebastopol station and its staff.

The bonus, he added, is that consolidation offers the city, along with Gold Ridge, greater access to the benefits of a shared economy and culture.

“By being on the same team and practicing together and relating to each other, both on emergency response and administratively, we're going to be a stronger group,” he said.

Sebastopol’s interim Fire Chief Todd Derum echoed this sentiment. Derum cited his four decades of experience spanning multiple countries as a reason for his recommendation in favor of consolidation.

“I grew up in a fire station, I've been a volunteer, I've worked for small departments and I’ve worked for the state's fire department,” Derum said. “It's emotional, but if we get outside of ourselves and realize we're here to serve the public, the citizens and the visitors, having more of a community or holistic response is pretty clear.”

Volunteer Cato Grace, who has been with the department for a year, understands that given the financial situation of Sebastopol and the frequency with which the two departments already work together, consolidation is not a bad choice. Still, he wonders whether the financial savings offered by Gold Ridge are coming at a cost to the identity of Sebastopol.

“If we were in a better financial position we wouldn't have to think about consolidation,” said Grace. “We'd be able to maintain control of our fire department instead of basically selling it to somebody else.”

Grace said he has had difficult and direct conversations with veteran firefighters over the past couple of weeks that have made him more optimistic about consolidation. The entire department, including O’Dell and Grace, knows that no matter what happens, they can and will always make the most of it.

“It could be a total success,” Alex Roa, who has been with the department for 10 years, said. “I think that's what we're all hoping for, and I don't see any reason why that can't come to fruition.”

Even if better days for Sebastopol’s fire response are ahead, Roa, like O’Dell, cannot help but reminisce.

“I remember as a kid being at Park Side and the fire department showing up right before summer break and spraying everybody with water. That kind of a memory, I think, is baked into the people of this town. And that’s not to say we won’t have that with Gold Ridge. But when I was growing up here in the 80s and 90s, this was such a vibrant place, and there was so much life and excitement and money—not that people were overly wealthy, but like, there was no question about this stuff as far as I can tell,” he said, referencing decisions by the city to contract out its services.

“Now there's lots of questions about it.”

The remaining photos are taken outside and inside the fire station. Thanks to Todd Derum for showing me around.

Former Fire Chief Russell Shura’s take on the importance of volunteers in the fire service. (Photo by Ezra Wallach)

Former Fire Chief Russell Shura’s portrait still has pride of place in the fire station, a token of the department's commitment to tradition and those that have come before. (Photo by Ezra Wallach)