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Los Altos Hills official: Los Altos annexation won’t reduce local fire and EMS services
Summary
Jay Logan of the Los Altos Hills County Fire District told the EPRC that a 2027–2036 successor agreement adopted in February 2026 maintains existing fire and EMS services and funding formulas for Los Altos Hills, while the district moves forward with new apparatus and a feasibility study for a north‑end fire facility.
Jay Logan, a representative of the Los Altos Hills County Fire District, told the Emergency Preparedness & Response Committee on April 7 that the city of Los Altos’ decision to annex into the Santa Clara County/central fire system will not reduce fire or emergency medical services to Los Altos Hills.
“The agreement specifies that all fire and emergency medical services to Los Altos Hills County Fire District will continue,” Logan said, referencing the recently approved 2027–2036 successor agreement adopted by county authorities in February 2026. He described the agreement as a “bifurcation” that removed Los Altos as a contracting party while leaving the district and the service provider bound to the successor terms.
Logan said the successor agreement preserves the existing funding formulas and program budgets for Los Altos Hills. He told the committee the district has separate accounts for district programs such as CERT and Firewise and said those funds are not commingled with the City of Los Altos’ finances. “It’s kind of like you’ve got your Wells Fargo account, and the neighbor down the street has their Bank of America account. Those two accounts don’t even touch each other,” he said.
Logan also described capital and facilities planning tied to the 10‑year term: the district ordered four apparatus starting in 2022, including a ladder truck with an approximate price of $2,300,000 and a water tender, with deliveries expected across 2026–27. He said the district is conducting a feasibility study and has identified a north‑end parcel on Arastradero as the likely site for a new fire facility, which would allow reconfiguration of existing stations and improved response coverage.
Committee members asked whether state or county procedures limit the district’s ability to maintain programs; Logan repeated that the agreement and funding formulas preserve current programs and that two contract provisions (a previously used five‑year opt‑out and a workers’ compensation provision tied to prior City of Los Altos employees) were handled separately during negotiations.
The presentation and Q&A concluded with committee acknowledgement that documents and staff memos describing the successor agreement were shared with members for further review, and the chair invited committee members to request a follow‑up presentation if they wanted additional detail.
