NAPA, CA (June 29, 2023) – The Napa County Board of Supervisors, at its June 27 meeting, renewed its agreement with CAL FIRE for comprehensive fire protection services. This contract, totaling $38,680,533, represents the largest services contract in the county’s history. The agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025.
Under the renewed CAL FIRE contract, the Napa County Fire Department will add a battalion chief, bringing the total number to three battalion chiefs, six full-time firefighters and five seasonal firefighters. The increased funding ensures that all fire stations in the county will remain operational year-round.
To further enhance collaboration and efficiency, the county will also add a fire administrator, whose role will be to streamline efforts between the county, CAL FIRE and Napa Communities Firewise Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce the risk and impacts of wildfires in Napa County through hazardous fuel reduction and community education.
“The additional staffing will mean more personnel to respond to incidents,” said Mike Marcucci, Unit and Fire Chief for the CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and Napa County Fire Department. “Furthermore, the staffing increase will help fortify the state-county relationship, enabling us to expand our fuel mitigation efforts, which are crucial to reducing fire risk.”
Since 1932, Napa County and CAL FIRE have partnered in cooperative fire protection, safeguarding the community from potential disasters. As per the agreement, CAL FIRE manages the Napa County Fire Department, which includes seven professionally staffed fire stations and 14 volunteer stations.
“This agreement paves the way for enhanced integrated fire services in the county,” said Belia Ramos, Chair of the Napa County Board of Supervisors. “We highly value the long-standing and trusted partnership between Napa County and CAL FIRE, and we are confident that this investment will significantly improve our ability to protect the community.”
###