Montclair’s fire department may soon become a division of Cal Fire or San Bernardino County Fire, as the City looks to further shave costs from its depleted budget.
A less expensive model for delivering services has been a long sought-after goal for Montclair, where previous discussions involved forming a Joint Powers Authority with Upland or forming a cooperative agreement with other agencies to share some costs.
Now, proposals have been returned to the City by the two agencies that explain the costs and services associated with outsourcing fire coverage. An agreement with Cal Fire would result in a reduction of staffing – from eight firefighters to six – on duty at all times, while the County’s option would maintain current staffing levels.
Even with the proposals in-hand, change could be months off as negotiations to form a final agreement, which is then subject to revisions by both the contracting agency and the City.
Read the full story at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.