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Mono City fire official warns of equipment and storage shortfalls; county advances emergency alert planning
Summary
Mono City Fire commissioners told the board they lack appropriately sized apparatus space and heated storage for a 2,000-gallon water tender; county emergency management flagged alerting vendor issues and supervisors asked staff to agendize a review of the alert system and Firewise outreach.
David Swisher, chairman of commissioners for the Mono City Fire Department, told the Mono County Board of Supervisors that his department is "in dire need" of additional fire apparatus and a building that can house newer equipment. Swisher said the department's station dates to the 1980s, that trucks barely fit the doors, and that a recently acquired 2,000-gallon water tender cannot be stored on-site in winter without a heated facility; he said he had to drain it and ship it to Nevada for storage.
Swisher described a recent house fire in Cottonwood Canyon where neighboring agencies with water supplies were essential to bring the incident under control and said Mono City is one of the county's lowest-funded fire districts, estimating that after utilities, insurance and payroll the department is left with about $5,000 annually for replenishment and supplies.
The board received introductions from the California Highway Patrol's new Bridgeport-area commander, Kurt Peterson, and Dennis Parks, CHP public information officer. Peterson summarized his service background and said CHP will provide situational postings about road closures and critical incidents; Parks noted constraints on routine social-media posts unless incidents or fires warrant them.
Emergency Manager Chris McCrassick briefed the board on wildfire-related work and potential alerting problems tied to a vendor (Genesis). He said alerts in California were sometimes delayed or retransmitted when cell towers or power failed, and he said he would meet with the vendor to reduce the risk of similar failures in Mono County. McCrassick also described planned Firewise outreach, a joint meeting with Southern California Edison and Inyo County on PSPS and alerting, and a community Firewise meeting in Mono City.
Supervisors thanked emergency staff and asked that the county agendize a detailed discussion of the alert system, its failure modes during power or tower outages, and insurance implications for Firewise certification. The board did not take formal action on funding for apparatus or facilities at the meeting but referred the concerns for further consideration and community coordination.
Quotes: "We are in dire need of a building to house our apparatus," David Swisher said, noting that the department must sometimes ship equipment to out-of-county storage for winter.
"With the wildfires kind of being at top of mind of everybody right now, we're gonna utilize this time to really push Firewise programs in Mono County," Emergency Manager Chris McCrassick said.
The board directed staff to return with more information; supervisors emphasized outreach to vulnerable or inaccessible zones where county service capabilities are constrained.
