Fire Services Project

Fire Services Project Programs

Fire Services Project Funds are allocated by the Board of Supervisors to support fire agency consolidation efforts. The Board of Supervisors began dedicating funds in 2015, including a portion of the County's Proposition 172 Public Safety funds, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue, and other discretionary funding sources, in order to enhance fire services within Sonoma County.  These funds have facilitated the consolidation of the CSA 40 Volunteer Fire Companies and other key fire agency consolidations using revenue sharing agreements that provide additional sources of revenue to stabilize newly consolidated districts. As a result of consolidations efforts, the number of fire agencies serving Sonoma County has decreased from 43 to 23, improving efficiency and effectiveness in fire service provision. 

County Service Area (CSA) 40 was formed in 1993 as a special dependent district to collect property taxes to provide fire protection services to the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County that are not within the boundaries of an existing Fire Protection or County Services District. As a result of consolidation efforts undertaken via the Fire Services Project, the remaining Volunteer Fire Companies that provided fire services under CSA 40 were consolidated with the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District in FY 2022-23. The territories remaining within CSA 40 include Incident Response Program (IRP) areas 51, 56, and 71. The County has an agreement with the Sonoma County Fire District to annex IRP 51 and 56 and has begun discussing the annexation process with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). The City of Santa Rosa provides fire services for IRP 71, and the County has begun discussions on the annexation of this territory. Once these remaining territories are annexed, CSA 40 will be dissolved. 

Revenue Enhancement 

In March of 2024, Sonoma County Voters passed Measure H, a voter-initiated ½ cent sales tax to support fire services. These funds, which will not flow through the County’s budget, will help fire agencies throughout Sonoma County to achieve the goal of effective and sustainable fire services. The County will continue to support efforts around greater efficiency as laid out in existing revenue sharing agreements, while allowing fire agencies to play the leading role in shaping future evolution of the services.