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Ceres renews five‑year fire services agreement with Modesto, shifts most Engine 19 staffing costs
Summary
The council approved a five‑year renewal of its full‑service fire agreement with Modesto on June 8, reaffirming advanced life‑support coverage and reallocating a majority of Engine 19 staffing costs to Modesto based on usage analysis.
The Ceres City Council voted on June 8 to approve an amended and reinstated five‑year agreement with the City of Modesto to provide fire protection services, preserving existing service levels and paramedic coverage while adjusting cost allocation for a regional unit.
Assistant Chief Andrew Hunter of the Modesto Fire Department summarized the partnership’s history and benefits. Since the initial agreement in 2021, Ceres has gained paramedic staffing on engines, increased daily staffing levels and dedicated fire‑prevention and command personnel. That partnership, the presentation said, helped the city improve its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating from a class 3 to a class 2.
As part of the renewal, Modesto will assume responsibility for the majority of staffing costs for Engine 19, a unit that staff analysis showed performs about 71 percent of its workload outside Ceres. The city will continue to contribute approximately 29 percent of Engine 19 personnel costs reflecting historical service demand; the funding allocation will be reevaluated if district boundaries or funding availability change.
The interim city manager told council the agreement preserves ALS paramedic service and estimated that, since 2021, the arrangement has saved Ceres roughly $1.9 million in staffing costs. Firefighters and a former Ceres employee, Joe Spanny, spoke in support of extending the agreement, saying the regional model increased staffing, improved inspections and enhanced response capability.
Council members expressed support for the renewal while asking staff to continue exploring long‑term facility and cost‑sharing options, particularly for Station 19. Council approved the contract renewal and authorized the interim city manager to execute the agreement (motion carried 3–1).
What happens next: staff indicated a planned side letter to clarify dispatch language and other technical contract language, and they will continue to monitor service distribution and cost allocation as annexations change the industrial fire district.
