A Ventura County community is pursuing a plan to dissolve its fire department, and sign a contract with the county to provide fire protection services.
The Santa Paula City Council looked at a proposal Tuesday night to shut down its more than 100 year old department. Officials with the Department, as well as Ventura County Fire Department say the city could benefit from enhanced services with potential savings because of the economies of being part of a larger agency.
The Council didn’t make a decision on the overall proposal, but wants more information on the potential financial impacts. Santa Paula Fire Department officials say that long range if the agency remained independent it would need to replace two fire stations, as well as a number of fire trucks.
The proposal calls for the county to absorb qualified members of the Santa Paula Fire Department.
