Jackson – The Amador County Board of Supervisors last week voted to pursue a contract with the California Department of Fire Protection for coverage of the entire county, with the aim of letting local jurisdictions sign in for coverage through the county. Supervisors voted 4-0 to approve sending a letter to Calfire requesting a proposal for an umbrella contract between Amador County and Calfire. The contract would be county-wide, and outline general terms and conditions for fire protection services. The umbrella contract would allow all individual fire districts to have Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the county. Those MOUs would outline specific fire services with each district. Calfire would provide and oversee administrative duties. Amador County Chief Administrative Office Terri Daly recommended the request in a memo to the board, saying: “Each jurisdiction could have a different set of services provided by Calfire.” The object of the umbrella agreement with Calfire, and the MOUs, is to get to a point where the county can start using Measure M funds to pay for firefighting in Amador County. Daly requested that the “board consider the letter to Calfire “as a first step to provide more options to all the fire districts in the future.” Daly said Measure M will fund 7 fire districts in the county, but if the Buena Vista Rancheria’s Flying Cloud Casino becomes operational in the Jackson Valley, it will “create a dramatic need for paid fire staffing.” She said the county’s Intergovernmental Services Agreement (ISA) with the Buena Vista Me-Wuk Indians “allows for contracting with Calfire to provide those services.” The “casino is located within the territory of the Jackson Valley Fire Protection District,” but Daly said the “county has an interest in ensuring that all the terms and conditions of the ISA be met by the tribe, if financing is secured by the tribe and construction commences.” She said: “A Calfire contract between the county and Calfire – with an MOU between (Jackson Valley Fire) and the county – would provide protection to the county and to JVFPD.” She said that is because the county “is the only entity that can enforce the ISA.” Daly said Jackson Valley Fire and the county “have worked side-by-side with Calfire to develop fire protection requirements for the proposed casino.” Staff will prepare a draft of the letter, which will come back to the board of supervisors for approval. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.