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Oak Shores residents press county for permanent fire station; Cal Fire and CAO promise feasibility work
Summary
Residents from Oak Shores urged the county for a full‑time fire station and faster response capability. Cal Fire said stationing and apparatus work is underway; the county administrator said Oak Shores is a top priority for feasibility studies and will be considered in the CIP.
Residents of the Oak Shores community asked the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 21 to expedite plans for a permanent, staffed fire station at Lake Nacimiento’s north shore, saying current resources are strained and response times can be long. Oak Shores representatives told the board they have identified a potential three‑acre site they said they could donate for a station and that reductions in volunteer staffing and higher fire‑insurance costs make a permanent solution urgent.
Oak Shores community members presented a list of concerns at the public‑comment session and said they could provide a site and local support. Craig Stoltz and Matt Gourley, Oak Shores community leaders, described diminished volunteer capacity, surging seasonal population spikes and high insurance premiums. They said a full‑time station or at least a seasonal staffed facility would vastly improve safety and lower insurance risk for residents.
Deputy Chief Josh Taylor of the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department and the Cal Fire unit said Cal Fire supports the community’s goal and described near‑term steps: a planned midyear request to replace the squad and fire boat assigned to Oak Shores, and work on apparatus availability that had been delayed by pump issues on a planned apparatus. He confirmed the department’s strategic plan identifies Oak Shores as one of the top two priority locations for station planning and staffing.
County Administrator Matt Pontus told residents the county had recently met with local stakeholders and would pull together resources to begin feasibility studies for Oak Shores and Santa Margarita; he said design and construction would be included in the county’s capital improvement program after feasibility and site review. Pontus offered to schedule an Oak Shores town‑hall meeting and to stay in closer touch with local leaders.
Why it matters: The Oak Shores stretch of Lake Nacimiento has a significant seasonal population and limited local emergency resources; residents argued that longer response times and diminished volunteer capacity raise both wildfire and structure‑fire risks and increase insurance costs.
Next steps: The county will begin feasibility studies and include station design and construction in future CIP planning; the fire department plans equipment replacements and staffing upgrades in the 2025 midyear request. County staff said they will coordinate a town‑hall meeting and follow up with Oak Shores leadership about site characteristics and a timeline for feasibility work.
