Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Measure K: King’s Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade Engine 356 Replacement
RECOMMENDATION:
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Measure K: Adopt a resolution authorizing a one-time grant of Measure K reserve funds, not to exceed $680,000, to the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade, Inc for eligible acquisition costs of one replacement Type 3 wildland fire engine, and authorizing and directing the County Executive, or designee(s), in coordination with the County Attorney, to negotiate and execute the corresponding grant agreement with Kings Mountain Fire Brigade, Inc.
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BACKGROUND:
San Mateo County contracts with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to provide fire protection services in the unincorporated areas of the County that are not served by a fire protection district. Under this arrangement, CAL FIRE serves as the San Mateo County Fire Department.
The County also cooperates with the La Honda Fire Brigade (LHFB) under a Memorandum of Understanding approved by the Board of Supervisors through Resolution No. 069569 on July 22, 2008. The MOU authorizes LHFB to provide volunteer fire protection and emergency response services in cooperation with the San Mateo County Fire Department, and defines a service area encompassing approximately 250 square miles of the County’s rural mountain and south coast communities and recognizes the service of approximately 40 volunteer firefighters, including members of both the La Honda Fire Brigade and Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Within this coordinated County fire protection and mutual aid system, the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade operates as the Kings Mountain Fire Department at Fire Station 56, in coordination with CAL FIRE. Its current frontline wildland apparatus, Engine 356, is a 2003 Freightliner Hi-Tech Type 3 engine that is nearing the end of its useful service life at 23 years of 25 total life service years and has experienced increasing maintenance and reliability challenges due to high annual repair costs, extended out of service time, and unexpected down times.
Type 3 engines are designed to operate on narrow, steep, winding, and otherwise restricted mountain roads, enabling access to remote locations that may be inaccessible to larger Type 1 structural fire engines.
Under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards (NFPA 1900), an apparatus should be removed from front-line service after 15 years. At 15 years, they can be relegated to reserve status for up to another 10 years, and fully retired from service at 25 years.
Engine 356 responds to approximately 130 incidents annually, including vegetation and remote structure fires, storm-related downed trees and power lines, access and evacuation-route maintenance, and helicopter support. The Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade reports that Engine 356 also supports Countywide coordinated response and mutual aid, including assistance in the Sign Hill area of South San Francisco, San Bruno Mountain, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission watershed lands, and mountain communities west of Woodside. During the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fires, Engine 356 extinguished four emerging fires in Kings Mountain and supported a Loma Mar fire line for three days.
The fire protection agreement between the County and CAL FIRE identifies the Type 3 engine as frontline apparatus with shared ownership and County maintenance responsibilities. A locally available Type 3 resource is especially valuable when state-owned engines are committed to major incidents elsewhere in California, subject to dispatch and mutual aid requirements.
DISCUSSION:
A replacement Type 3 wildland fire engine is estimated to cost more than $800,000 and may take one to three years to procure and deliver. The Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade anticipates contributing $120,000 to $150,000 and requests up to $680,000 in County support. Thus, staff recommends authorizing a one-time grant of Measure K reserve funds, not to exceed $680,000.
Final pricing, financing, payment terms, and delivery remain subject to confirmation. Thus, the proposed resolution also authorizes and directs the County Executive, or designee, in coordination with the County Attorney, to negotiate and execute the grant agreement.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
The replacement engine will respond to approximately 130 or more incidents an annual basis. This includes vegetation fires, helicopter landing zones, wire/tree storm impacts, structure fires.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The proposed action supports wildfire and disaster readiness for residents and visitors in rural, mountainous, and geographically isolated areas of the County. A replacement Type 3 engine would help preserve access to remote homes and emergency scenes, support evacuation-route and storm-response activities, and strengthen coordinated mutual aid capacity across San Mateo County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed action would authorize a one-time County contribution not to exceed $680,000 for eligible acquisition costs, to be funded from. Measure K-reserve funds. This amount is included within the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Recommended Budget.