Letter from the Chief

Welcome to the Coastside Fire Protection District’s web site where I know you’ll find answers to the questions you might have on how we currently serve the communities of Half Moon Bay, Montara, El Granada, Princeton, Moss Beach, and Miramar.

As you know, the District’s Governing Board resolved to enter into a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE to supply the management and personnel of your fire services.  CAL FIRE, or CDF, or the Department of Forestry, has a long tradition, not only as preeminent wildland firefighters but as disaster managers and providers of municipal emergency services to over 150 towns, cities, and fire districts across the State.

Since June of this year we have been working towards the transition of all the District’s employees into State service where they are joining the nearly 5,000 firefighters and other staff of our Department.  This has meant a significant change to many of them as well as to the firefighters who have transferred or been hired into the District to fully staff the engines and programs as determined by the Board.  Our goal is to make this change as transparent to the community as we can.  Our intent has been to maintain the same high level of service that has been enjoyed on the coastside for many years.

And there are ways we can improve, such as: the Board’s recent decision to increase staffing so that you can have firefighters immediately available to staff the second ambulance, ladder truck, rescue unit, etc.; increasing the cooperative effort with CAL FIRE’s resource management staff to determine fuel reduction projects that can reduce the risk and intensity of large damaging wildfires; looking at ways that the District can take advantage of sharing resources, personnel, and equipment to reduce costs and increase efficiency; and continuing to foster relationships with local government entities and adjoining fire agencies to assure their coordinated response into the District during a major emergency.

I hope you come to the District’s next Board meeting to hear more and I look forward to updating this message as we continue to look for ways to better serve the needs of the San Mateo County coastal communities.

John E. Ferreira, Unit Fire Chief