Residents urge council to revisit Ross firehouse closure as council seeks options

Public comment at the Feb. 13 Ross Town Council meeting focused heavily on the town’s plan to close its legacy fire station and reassign the engine. Longtime resident and former Ross volunteer firefighter Bruce Selfridge told the council he was “very upset that the town has decided to close the fire station,” and said the town had relied on the local engine for flood response, pumping basements and rapid medical first response during his decades of service.

Another resident who testified, Donna Arens, said she joined the Ross fire department and served more than 20 years and warned the council that “10 minutes or more is unacceptable” for medical emergencies and urged the council to keep the engine in town. Several other residents in the chamber and on Zoom expressed similar concerns about response times, water supply during fires and the community’s vulnerability during extreme weather.

Council members took up the subject later in the meeting during the “future agenda items” discussion. Councilmember Seltzer said he believed closing the station in 2021 was “penny wise, pound foolish” given increasing fire risk and urged that the council revisit rebuilding or otherwise maintaining a local engine. Councilmember Robbins and Mayor Pro Tem McMillan emphasized that the council should obtain current operational information before committing to resource‑intensive next steps: Robbins asked for “ballpark figures” for alternatives; McMillan said it would be useful to understand whether the town should pursue discussions with neighboring districts.

Town staff and council agreed to add a March agenda item described in the staff report as an informational and discussion item that will include: a concise history of the council’s prior facility decision; an operational update from Ross Valley Fire staff about dispatch, ambulance and paramedic deployment; and a list of potential alternatives for discussion. Councilmembers identified three example alternatives they want on the table for the March discussion: (1) ask staff to open conversations about joining a neighboring fire district (examples mentioned included Kentfield and Central Marin); (2) obtain a ballpark estimate for constructing and operating a stand‑alone Ross fire station; and (3) obtain a ballpark estimate for an arrangement in which Ross would fund and staff an engine while remaining a Ross Valley Fire Department member.

Town Manager Johnson cautioned that developing detailed cost estimates and negotiated options would require additional staff or consultant time and therefore asked for clear council direction if the council wanted staff to prepare detailed evaluations. The council’s final direction for the March agenda was to present the history and current operational briefing and to list the possible alternatives in the staff report; any deeper analysis will require majority direction and allocation of staff resources.

What’s next: The council scheduled the informational update and discussion for its March meeting packet. The March item will include the background materials and the operational briefing; the council may at that time direct staff to prepare financial estimates or to open formal discussions with other fire jurisdictions.