S P O A
Union Democrat Article
The following Union Democrat article was posted on April 21, 2010.
"Strawberry eyes alternatives"
Written by Ashley Archibald,
The Union Democrat
April 21, 2010 12:26 pm
The Strawberry Fire Protection District board Tuesday agreed to work with Tuolumne County to look at
alternative methods of providing fire services.
The decision came during a contentious meeting at which citizens demanded action. It followed an offer by
County Administrative Officer Craig Pedro to evaluate alternatives, part of a bigger-picture look at fire
protection in Tuolumne County that Pedro has undertaken.
“We can do a basic evaluation of what the options are,” he said. “Flesh out the alternatives.” The nearly
25 Strawberry citizens gathered at the meeting applauded the proposal. Many have pressed the board to
consider subcontracting with the nearby Pinecrest volunteer fire department rather than continue trying
to respond to fires singlehandedly. The board will present the findings at its May 18 meeting.
If the Strawberry Fire Department subcontracted with Pinecrest, it would take on a similar structure to fire
services in Jamestown. Jamestown fire protection is provided through a contract with the county. "That's
putting the fox in charge of the hen house,” said Board President Robert Rutherford. “The county is the
beneficiary of the agreement with Jamestown.” The other three board members — Elizabeth Bandley,
Meredith Dean and Dan Vaughn — all supported looking into the idea.
Many citizens were frustrated by the board’s lack of action, focusing on its failure to comply with a California
Public Records Act request made at the March 16 meeting.
The board received a list of 19 questions and requests for training certificates and equipment evaluations.
By state law, it had 10 days to reply or request an extension of 15 days. Instead, Rutherford requested an
additional 45 days to respond to the questions. Only eight questions have been answered so far, according
to Carolyn Weaver, a citizen heading up the CPRA effort.
“We’re trying to give a reply,” Rutherford said. “We’re continuing to work on gathering the rest of the infor-
mation. We need time because we’re short staffed.”
According to Rutherford, the relevant documents are stored haphazardly in a “large bin,” which makes it
difficult to find things. Other members of the board denied being included in the process, to which Rutherford
replied that he took the responsibility on himself because the questions had been addressed to him. Only 11
days remain in the 45 to produce the information requested. The board scheduled a special meeting on April 28
to address the matter.
The three other board members also said they had no knowledge of volunteer recruitment efforts, which Rutherford
said involved plans to put up posters in the local post office.
Calls to reform the fire department have reached a fevered pitch for Strawberry taxpayers. The district will soon
be evaluated by the Insurance Services Office, or ISO, which works with insurance companies to inform them of
potential risk. Weaver noted that much of the information her group requested is the same as what ISO will be
looking for when it comes to evaluate the district. That has major implications for the citizens. A low ISO rating
for fire in the area could make premiums more expensive.
According to Susan Parks, a Strawberry resident who attended the meeting, her fire insurance has already been
canceled by her previous provider, Allstate. “Allstate is pulling out of California because of the losses,” she said
“We had to find something else, and it costs twice as much.”