Ripon Fire points to weekend staffing shortage ahead of benefit vote

Two calls and only one engine.

That's the situation the Ripon Consolidated Fire District faced Saturday afternoon, highlighting what fire officials say is an ongoing staffing problem they hope voters will help solve.

A camera at Ripon Fire Station 1 captured smoke rising in the distance as crews responded to a fast-moving vegetation fire between Jack Tone Road and Highway 99.

Just four minutes later, another emergency call came in.

"We received a call of a drowning at Caswell State Park," Fire Chief Eric DeHart said. "They were in the middle of the firefight when the drowning call came in, so they weren't able to just pull up all their equipment and head that way."

With its only available engine already committed, Ripon Fire relied on neighboring Manteca Fire to respond to the water rescue.

"A lot of times we're able to peel away and go but when you're in the middle of a firefight, it just isn't that easy," DeHart explained. "We relied on our neighbors again. Fortunately, Manteca wasn't busy and were able to come because a call like that requires special equipment — a boat, for instance."

IIf Manteca was also tied up, crews from Waterford might have been next in line to receive a call for help.

"Which at that point, any hopes of helping anybody really starts to diminish," he said.

The close timing of the two emergencies is exactly the type of scenario fire officials say underscores the need for additional staffing.

The district is asking voters to approve a benefit assessment that would generate more than $1.7 million annually through parcel assessments on residential, commercial and agricultural properties.

The funding would allow the district to hire six firefighters and finally staff a fire station that has sat vacant since 2014.

"It's what we have been talking about for the last few years now. It's concurrent calls. The drowning came in and it was a concurrent call for us," Chief DeHart said.

DeHart said the district already has the station, apparatus and equipment in place. The only thing missing is the funding to staff it.

Ballots were mailed to property owners in June and must be returned by Aug. 13. If the measure passes, the district hopes to have the additional firefighters on duty by January.