North Fire Station Repair and Upgrade. The Sea Ranch Volunteer. Fire
Department. Dear Neighbor,. Whether you are a full time resident, part-timer, or a
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The Sea Ranch Volunteer Fire Department December, 2013
Post Office Box 65, The Sea Ranch, CA 95497 http://tsrvfd.org (707)785-2648
Holiday greetings from TSRVFD! It has been many years since the department sent out a newsletter and we are happy to resurrect the tradition. We want to keep our community informed of our activity and needs, and to thank all of you for your continued support. We love what we do, but we could not do it without you.
Nor th Fir e Sta tion Repair and Upgrade Dear Neighbor, Whether you are a full time resident, part-timer, or a property owner, you probably have had some contact with The Sea Ranch Volunteer Fire Department (TSRVFD). Perhaps you have attended our annual Memorial Weekend Picnic or purchased your Christmas tree from us. You may have a neighbor who rushes out of their driveway at all hours of the day and night to respond to an emergency. In any case, you more than likely are aware of the dedication and commitment of your volunteer fire department. We are very grateful for the support we receive from this wonderful community, and hope you can continue to help us now.
Want to learn more about the NFS project, or your fire department? See photographs of your neighbors in action? Would you prefer to make donations online? Please visit our website:
tsrvfd.org
You may not know that TSRVFD does not receive any financial support from The Sea Ranch Association. What money we receive, comes primarily from two sources. First, we receive funds from Sonoma County Fire & Emergency Services. That agency receives a portion of your property taxes and pays for our 24/7 CALFIRE crew, vehicles, safety clothing, and some equipment and training. Second, we raise money through the Memorial Weekend picnic, Christmas tree sales (most of which goes to our scholarship program), and donations. We use those funds for additional equipment and training, and to maintain the North Fire Station (NFS). The NFS is owned entirely by TSRVFD and is not maintained with property tax funds. We recently replaced all of the siding on the NFS. During that project we also added an internal stairway to a loft area and put in a window, in preparation for our long-term goal of making the station capable of housing firefighters 24/7. Eventually we hope to be able to house year-round CALFIRE staff at the NFS, both to improve overall response capability on TSR, and to reduce our increasing rental expense (currently we pay for the use of the CALFIRE station on Annapolis Road, which is owned by the state). Now that the re-siding is complete, the next immediate phase of the NFS project is to repair the pavement surrounding the station. There are several areas which are deteriorating at an increasing rate. We want to perform a comprehensive repair project to stop the damage, correct problems which are allowing the existing pavement to be washed out from below, and insure a solid surface for many years. This is an expensive endeavor, which we estimate will cost at least $50,000. Beyond that, to make the station residential, extensive remodeling will have to take place, including improvements to the existing septic system. Our current rough estimate for that phase is around $300,000. The re-siding project pretty well depleted the reserves we had built up over the years through our fundraising efforts. We need your help in order to continue to serve the community at the current level, and to prepare for future needs as the TSR population grows. Any donation that you can make is greatly needed and will be very much appreciated. All donations are tax deductible. We have provided a pre-addressed envelope to make donating as easy as possible. Please make checks out to “TSRVFD”. Or, if you prefer, you can go to our website - tsrvfd.org - to make a contribution online. Your volunteer fire department thanks you for your continued support! Gratefully, Michael Scott, Fire Chief; TSRVFD Board of Directors (Michael Tuft, Bonnie Plakos, David Rice, David Goheen, Bill Wong)
What is The Sea Ranch Fire Department? Sea Ranch Fire is a tax-supported combination paid and volunteer fire department. Three entities pool resources to make the department work: The Sea Ranch Volunteer Fire Department Inc. (TSRVFD), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE), and the Sonoma HELP WANTED! County Fire and Emergency Services Department (FES). While Sea Ranch Fire and The Sea Ranch Association (TSRA) work closely together, the fire department is not a part of, nor is it governed by Position available for those TSRA. A Board of Directors, elected from and by members of TSRVFD, together with TSRVFD's who are willing to be awakFire Chief, manage the operations of TSRVFD. ened in early hours from sound sleep to run out of A non-profit public benefit corporation, TSRVFD is composed of highly trained and motivated their homes in the most volunteers who live and/or work on The Sea Ranch. One of your neighbors may be a volunteer firefighter; the only way you might know is by the odd hours he or she may race out of the driveway inclement weather, to face an hour or more of exhaustto head for the fire station. ing, hazardous, physically CALFIRE, under contract through FES for the benefit and support of TSRVFD, provides demanding labor in a heavemergency response, administrative, maintenance and training services to the Department. This ily insulated, poorly venticontract is funded through your real property taxes allocated in part by Sonoma County to FES. lated, unfashionable outfit. CALFIRE provides at least two (and often more) duty officers at all times and staffs the fire Salary: None equipment located at the South Station on Annapolis Road. Volunteers participate in many hours of training to equip themselves for the jobs they do in Rewards: The satisfaction that comes from helping TSRVFD. Some members are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), others have special friends and neighbors, training in driving and operating the fire apparatus and still others may have training in rescue techniques, vehicle extrication or other special skills. TSRVFD and CALFIRE personnel respond when help is needed the most. (And blowing the together to emergency calls, as “Sea Ranch Fire”. The reward volunteers receive is not monetary; it siren, of course!) is the satisfaction of helping friends and neighbors when the need arises.
Mark your calendar for the 2014 picnic!
TSRVFD Fun Facts
TSRVFD responded to 211 calls in 2009, 258 in 2010, and 284 in 2011, and 280 in 2012.
The VFD has 13 active and 2 support members, with 2 new recruits currently in training.
TSRVFD, Inc. was established in 1973.
The department has 3 engines, one salvage truck, one rescue squad, one utility truck, and one chief’s rig.
There are two fire stations: One on Annapolis Road, and one on Highway 1 just south of the Chapel.
Only about 6% of our calls are fires. The rest are medical, traffic accidents, rescues, smoke checks, trees down…
TSRVFD, Annapolis VFD, CALFIRE train with REACH air ambulance crew.
The Sea Ranch Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. PO Box 65 The Sea Ranch, CA 95497 (707) 785-2648 email:
[email protected] website: tsrvfd.org
