Statement from Vincent Wells
President, United Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa, IAFF Local 1230

As President of United Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa, IAFF Local 1230, I believe the residents of Brentwood and Contra Costa County deserve to understand why the timely construction of Fire Station 90 matters to the entire Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

I was hired as a firefighter paramedic by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in 1997. I was elected to  the Local 1230 Executive Board in 2000, and in 2006 I became Vice President and was assigned to East Contra Costa County. During that time, I became directly involved in efforts to improve fire protection and emergency services in East Contra Costa.

Those efforts eventually contributed to the annexation of East Contra Costa Fire Protection District into Contra Costa Fire and to the passage of Measure X.

Measure X was approved by voters throughout Contra Costa County as a countywide half-cent sales tax. Among its purposes was providing timely fire and emergency response and addressing critical public-safety needs throughout the County.

The investment made through Measure X has helped build, reopen and staff fire stations throughout the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

That investment has produced tangible results.

In Brentwood, Measure X funding has supported the rebuilding of Fire Station 94 and the construction of Fire Station 90 and the funding to staff them. Other communities throughout the District have also benefited from the investment in fire-station infrastructure and staffing.

These are not simply Brentwood projects.

They are part of the fire-protection system serving the entire Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

That distinction is important.

Contra Costa Fire does not operate as a collection of completely independent fire stations. We operate as one districtwide system.

When a structure fire is reported, the response requires multiple companies and resources. A typical structure-fire response includes four engine companies and a truck company.

Those companies have to come from somewhere.

When companies leave their stations to respond to an emergency, the District has to move other companies to maintain coverage and prepare for the next call.

That process may not be visible to the public, but it is one of the most important parts of providing reliable emergency services.

Residents just see the fire engines arrive at the emergency.

What they don't see is the system behind those engines—the companies being moved, stations being covered, and resources being positioned so that another community is still protected while firefighters are committed to the first emergency.

That is why every station counts.

Fire Station 90 matters to Brentwood, but its importance does not stop at Brentwood city limits.

Every additional station gives the District another resource that can be available to respond, another place from which firefighters can operate, and another piece of the system that can help maintain coverage throughout the District.

When a station is delayed or unavailable, the District has one fewer resource available to position within that system.

That can mean other companies have to move farther from their normal response areas. It can mean resources have to be repositioned from other stations. And it can affect how quickly those companies can be available for the next emergency.

In other words, a delay in one community can have consequences throughout the entire system.

There is also a financial consequence to unnecessary delays.

Construction costs do not remain static. Labor, materials, engineering, architectural services and other project costs can increase over time. Changes to a project can require additional design work, create delays and increase expenses.

Ultimately, those additional costs are paid by taxpayers.

The people of Contra Costa County already made an investment through Measure X.

They made that investment because they understood that fire protection is a countywide issue and that growing communities need additional resources.

That was particularly important in East Contra Costa.

When I was assigned there in 2006, I saw firsthand the challenges that existed in a rapidly growing part of the County. The fire-protection system had to catch up with population growth and increasing demands for emergency services.

The annexation of East Contra Costa into Contra Costa Fire, combined with the passage of Measure X, created an opportunity to address those longstanding problems.

That progress should not be taken for granted.

It should be completed.

This is not about personalities.

It is not about political disagreements.

And it is not about any individual member of the Brentwood City Council.

It is about public safety.

Reasonable discussions about design, planning, aesthetics and municipal concerns are part of the process. But those discussions should not become unnecessary obstacles to providing critical fire-protection infrastructure.

Fire Station 90 is not simply another building.

It represents firefighters who will respond when someone calls 911.

It represents another engine company that can respond to a structure fire.

It represents another resource that can be positioned to protect surrounding communities.

And it represents another piece of a districtwide system that residents throughout Contra Costa County depend upon.

The residents of Contra Costa County voted to make an investment in public safety.

They trusted that investment would help provide the fire protection and emergency response their communities need.

We have a responsibility to honor that investment.

I am asking the Brentwood City Council to recognize the regional importance of Fire Station 90, respect the investment made by taxpayers throughout Contra Costa County, and work cooperatively with Contra Costa Fire to move this project forward without unnecessary delay.

Brentwood deserves the fire protection that was promised to its residents.

And the residents of the entire Contra Costa County Fire Protection District deserve a system in which every station and every company can be used as effectively as possible to protect our communities.

This is bigger than one station.

It is about the strength of the entire system.

It is about making sure that when someone calls 911, the resources are there.

It is about making sure firefighters have the facilities and staffing they need to do their jobs safely.

And it is about following through on the investment that the taxpayers of Contra Costa County already made.

One District. One system. Every station counts.

Vincent Wells
President
United Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa
IAFF Local 1230