ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Fire Department is planning to withdraw from a 15-year cooperative fire management services agreement with the departments in Solana Beach and Del Mar and establish itself as an independent fire agency, officials announced.
The fire departments in Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar have been in a cooperative management agreement since 2009, a model that consolidates executive fire management and establishes cost sharing among the three jurisdictions.
Initially, the agreement was intended to enhance regional coordination and cost efficiency, with the goal of eventually establishing a Joint Powers Authority, which ultimately did not materialize. Encinitas Fire Capt. Josh Gordon stated that, due to population growth and specific needs in the city, the department aims to focus entirely on Encinitas.
With this change, the department can prioritize increased community outreach, wildfire prevention, and addressing challenges like behavioral health and homelessness.
“Encinitas has grown. I think we’ve all seen over the last 15 years since the start of this cooperative management agreement that Encinitas is a different place,” Gordon said. “It’s important to know that as we look at future development, and wildfire preparedness, we’re looking to really focus our efforts into Encinitas, to be able to protect the citizens here with 100% of our focus.”
Encinitas fire leaders first shared their plans to leave the agreement during a Fire Department Governance Subcommittee meeting in April. On Wednesday, the Encinitas City Council unanimously agreed to move forward with the transition, intending to leave the cooperative agreement in approximately nine months.
Fire department leaders will also return to the council in August to share more information about how the fire operations will be affected by the change. Gordon said the department expects to lose around $850,000 in annual revenue that it currently receives as part of the shared services agreement.
Gordon noted that the strong partnerships with the Del Mar and Solana Beach departments will remain in place, and that all neighboring agencies will continue to assist one another in times of emergency.
“We know that as we move forward, that emergency response and the quality of that is not gonna be diminished in any way. The closest ambulance is gonna be the one who responds to that call no matter what,” Gordon said.
Officials in Solana Beach and Del Mar stated that they are committed to maintaining high-quality service in their respective areas and will collaborate with Encinitas leaders during the transition.
“As a next step, Del Mar and Solana Beach will undertake a process to explore other options for fire management services and will work with the Encinitas City Manager and Fire Chief over the coming months to develop a smooth transition plan that ensures continuity of fire operations and response for all of the communities involved,” the city of Solana Beach said in a statement.
Encinitas fire leadership says that the department has outgrown the model under the cooperative agreement, as it underwrites a significant portion of the budget and contributes the majority of the administrative infrastructure.
Currently, cost sharing between the three departments is calculated based on population, staffing, geographic area and the number of service calls. Encinitas covers approximately 69% of this Fire Management Services budget, but does not have proportional control over its services, the department stated.
The administrative personnel of Fire Management Services, including the fire chief, fire marshal, and fire administrative manager, are all from the Encinitas department.
When the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District left the cooperative agreement in 2013, Encinitas also ended up providing staffing to fill the resulting vacant positions, Gordon said.
“While cost-sharing was a strength in the early years of the agreement, it now presents a mismatch between financial investment and operational control,” a staff report states. “A city of Encinitas’ size and sophistication should be empowered to lead, not constrained, by its fire service structure.”
By going solo, the Encinitas Fire Department will be able to focus more heavily on areas of needed growth, including specialized programs such as advanced EMS response, wildfire fuel management, and mental health correspondent pilots.
Leaving the shared governance model would also make it easier for the department to pursue additional grant opportunities and obtain fire accreditation, as well as improve its ISO (Insurance Services Office) scores, the department stated.
“We’ve been edging back towards this, and I think now it’s time to make a firm decision and go with it,” said Mayor Bruce Ehlers.
Gordon said there have been conversations over the years about creating a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), which would legally formalize the three agencies under one fire department. However, it has never come to fruition.
“There’s not a lot of political will to go that direction with other cities. Yes, you can see this great money savings, but at the end of the day, there’s not a lot of willingness to give up the control of the budget of what their fire service looks like,” Gordon said.
The city’s withdrawal from the agreement should not result in a loss of personnel or equipment for any of the cities, Encinitas officials said, noting that each city has been purchasing its own apparatuses and hiring its own fire staff during the course of the agreement.
However, Councilmember Joy Lyndes said it will still be important to provide information about how Encinitas Fire will be affected by this change, particularly with the change in administrative structure.
“I think this provides us with a juncture where we can look at, not only where do we go with this organization structure, but what other barriers are there,” Lyndes said.
Solana Beach City Manager Alyssa Muto and Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones said both cities will keep their residents apprised of next steps as well.
“Solana Beach and Del Mar are prepared to initiate a process to identify potential options for future fire administration that will ensure our fire professionals are prioritized and supported while balancing an effective and fiscally responsible model,” Muto and Jones said in a press release.
