Santa Rosa fire chief says Measure H has delivered $6.64 million; Engine 9 placed in service and Station 9 planning under way

The Santa Rosa Fire Department reported on Measure H implementation and broader operations at the Public Safety Subcommittee on Tuesday, with Fire Chief Scott Westrop saying the city's fire fund has so far received $6,642,000 in Measure H sales tax receipts.

"To date with the three tax rolls we've received, the City of Santa Rosa has received 6,642,000 in sales tax revenue directly to the fire department through Measure H," Westrop said, adding that the receipts track the department's projection of a roughly $60 million countywide sales-tax total and the city's 14.4% share.

The Measure H revenue has already funded personnel moves and service changes. Westrop said two limited-term, grant-funded fire inspectors were moved to full‑time positions under Measure H and that the department's fire prevention bureau has grown by about 25 percent. The presentation said interviews are under way to backfill the grant-funded limited-term positions.

On operational capacity, the department placed an engine company identified as Engine 9 into service Oct. 6; Westrop emphasized this was the activation of a staffed engine company rather than delivery of a new apparatus. "So instead of 10 engines on the road every day, we now have 11 engines on the road every day," he said. The department also added a second 24‑hour on‑duty supervisor (Battalion 2), which Westrop said reduces supervisor spans of control and improves training and district familiarity.

A staffed heavy-rescue unit remains in the Measure H financial plan, but Westrop said staff are "slow rolling" that deployment until a full year of Measure H revenue and several months of expenditure data confirm the plan's sustainability.

Westrop outlined work on a permanent Station 9, noting the council has approved sale of the Franz Kafka property and that staff prefer retrofitting an existing commercial building in the Santa Rosa Avenue / Elsa / Court Street area to speed delivery and reduce cost. In the near term staff are exploring temporary sites to locate Engine 9 in District 9 and are coordinating with Transportation & Public Works on potential real estate options.

The department said it has formed a Measure H citizens oversight committee and is developing monthly financial reporting and personnel-tracking systems to ensure Measure H remains insulated from the general fund. Westrop described the Measure H accounting as a separate fund with its own lines for overtime, operations and personnel. "There is a budget of $600,000 per year in the Measure H budget," he said, explaining that overtime for Measure H employees is charged to Measure H while general fund overtime is charged to the general fund.

Committee members asked when staff would have a clearer picture of annual revenue and expenditures. Westrop said a full year of revenue (to be evaluated after March) and the close of the fiscal year will produce a more definitive report and that staff will return with updated numbers.

Westrop also provided a department update that included staffing and capital notes: the department lists 174 position-control FTEs, with 14 positions currently funded by Measure H, an academy class of seven firefighter-paramedics due to graduate in December, plans for Station 5's reopening (grand opening scheduled Nov. 15), a Roseland Station 8 groundbreaking (construction expected to finish in mid-2027), and planning funds set aside for a permanent Station 11 on Lewis Road. On fleet, the department said five Type 1 engines are on order and should be completed in March; chiefs warned of national apparatus cost increases and multi-year delivery timelines for some vehicles.

The department also announced expansion of its behavioral-health canine program: a second canine, Onyx, and handler Engineer Ben Bask graduated recent first-responder canine training and will join existing canine coverage.

No formal action beyond adoption of the meeting minutes was recorded during the Measure H presentation.