Ross Turns to Its Neighbors for Police and Fire

Though Ross and Fairfax are very different towns they might soon have two things in common: police and firefighters.

Ross is in the process of considering both joining the Ross Valley Fire Department, which covers San Anselmo, Fairfax, and Sleepy Hollow, and contracting out with Fairfax to provide police dispatch services.

In the Ross town newsletter, The Morning After, from Sept. 16, Town Manager Gary Broad wrote that the Ross Town Council is considering consolidation options with either Kentfield Fire Protection District or . The initial analysis, according to the newsletter, suggests that a merger with Kentfield would cost Ross $93,500 and require 50 percent of Ross taxes to permanently shift to the new fire district.

But, a merger with Ross Valley could save money and capitalize on shared services. 

“According to Fire Chief Tom Vallee, a merger with the Ross Valley Fire Department (RVFD) would result in some cost savings and improve the level of fire services for Ross,” said the newsletter.

Bringing Ross in to the Ross Valley Fire Department would make a remodeled Ross fire station the fourth fire station in the department. It would keep the current firefighters and three engines in Ross, as well as the paramedics. But, overhead and administrative costs would be shared.

Another engine company could also help response times in San Anselmo, said Ross Valley Fire Chief Roger Meagor. The two agencies already share responsibilities and resources when large fires break out.

“It would improve service to both communities,” said Ross Valley Fire Chief Roger Meagor. 

And though Ross would “pay their fair share,” he said, to the fire joint powers authority that oversees the Ross Valley Fire Department it could save Ross and Ross Valley money.

Fire services are not the only public safety consolidation Ross is looking at right now. 

At the Fairfax Town Council meeting on Oct. 5, the council gave Police Chief Chris Morin the go-ahead to continue negotiations and discussions for Fairfax to possibly supply police dispatch services to Ross.

Morin said the quote he supplied to Ross to provide dispatch services out of Fairfax, with designated emergency lines for Ross, a phone that rings from outside their department into the dispatch center, logging reports and implementation of the Marin CAD communications system, was for $31,000 each year for five years – slightly less the first three years to cover the cost of the CAD system.

Additionally, Fairfax could supply the services without adding personnel. Morin noted that Fairfax had dispatched for Ross several years ago and the San Anselmo dispatched for Ross and College of Marin for several years with the same staffing model as Fairfax.

“This was definitely a fish we wanted to see landed,” said Fairfax Councilman Lew Tremaine of the additional cost-savings that would come from merging the dispatch units.

Tremaine also noted that Ross was “the right partner,” whereas San Anselmo – who had , but is – was not the right fit.

Both the police and fire consolidations are in early stages of discussion and would come back for further presentations and votes before making strange, but beneficial, bedfellows of these very different towns.