FIRE CHIEF
MARK HARTWIG
FIRE CHIEF
Mark Hartwig has been chief of San
Bernardino County Fire District since
May of 2011. Holding bachelor’s
degrees from both Cal-Poly Pomona
and Loma Linda University, he also
holds an M.S. in emergency services
administration from Cal-State Long
Beach. He serves as president of
the California Metropolitan Fire
Chiefs Association and as legislative
director of the California Fire Chiefs
Association. A regular FIREWIRE
contributor, he resides with his
family in Rancho Cucamonga.
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides service
to cities, towns, fire districts and unincorporated area throughout the
county. The Fire Protection District Law of 1987 (Health and Safety Code
Section 13800, et seq.) defines both the legal framework for how we provide
service to our communities as well as how we are funded. Part of the law
states, “The auditor in each county in which a (fire) district is located shall
allocate to the district its share of property tax revenue.”
Most of our service area is a legal part of the fire district, and County Fire collects a portion of property tax
dollars in order to finance service in those areas. The district also collects revenue from ten separate voterapproved fire protection and paramedic tax assessment areas.
Fire district law also allows for alternate revenue in the forms of community facilities districts (Mello-Roos),
and voter-approved special tax areas. In addition to property taxes and special tax assessments, we generate
revenue through contract agreements with five of the cities that we protect.
County Fire has worked hard over the past four years to develop strategies to make itself more sustainable. We
most often refer to long-term revenue stability, but equally important to our future is long-range operational
stability—one is dependent on the other. A sustainable regional fire, rescue and emergency medical service
delivery model requires a reliable funding source. Sustainability is not self-serving. Consistent, reliable
emergency service delivery is in the best interests of all regional stakeholders including cities, fire districts
and the county.
Two fire districts and one city are currently pursuing annexation into the San Bernardino County Fire District.
Annexation provides a reliable and ongoing revenue stream that isn’t subject to renewal, as is the case with
service contracts. The process offers an opportunity for organizations to annex into an existing fire protection
tax assessment area while it annexes into the district. Annexation also helps to insulate cities and fire
districts from cost increases associated with retirement, health insurance, supplies and contract increases.
It is important to note that annexations are subject to voter approval through what is called a “protest
process.” That is, affected registered voters or landowners can protest the proposed reorganization by filing
protests with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). If protests equal 25 percent or more, the
proposal goes to ballot; if protests add up to 50 percent plus one of registered voters or landowners, the
proposal is terminated.
Contracts for service, meanwhile, create a less than secure employment outlook. As we discovered in a
recent study conducted by current contract cities, a wide-scale departure from County Fire would result
in the potential layoff of firefighters and staff. Essentially, 10-year service contracts equate to 10-year
employment contracts and regional service delivery models built on rotating 10-year contracts.
The San Bernardino County Fire District will continue to tout the regional benefits of annexation to cities and
fire districts that are interested in options for the delivery of fire, rescue and EMS.
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FIREWIRE | Fall 2015