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Fire chief outlines LGW agreement and asks Clearlake to consider 25% cost-share
Summary
Lake County Fire presented a Local Government Wildland (LGW) agreement with CAL FIRE that would extend state wildland coverage into designated local responsibility areas; the chief described expenses from the Boyle's fire and proposed a city cost-share (about $28,300 at 25% of this year's $113,000 estimate). Council motioned to direct the city manager to negotiate the agreement; the transcript does not record a final roll-call vote.
Lake County Fire officials briefed the Clearlake City Council on July 16 about a proposed Local Government Wildland (LGW) agreement with CAL FIRE that would extend state wildland coverage into portions of the city's local responsibility area (LRA).
Chief Cepeda (introduced in the staff report) described the Boyle's fire (Sept. 8–12) as an example of local suppression costs, saying the incident's total cost approach was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and that federal and state assistance covered a large share. He described the LGW agreement as "fire insurance," noting it ties CAL FIRE wildland protection into LRA areas (Cache Creek corridor through Chapman Tract and north past Polk Avenue) and would make certain state resources and automated FMAG support easier to access.
On budget, Chief Cepeda presented a per-acre methodology and an annual program estimate. Staff cited an annual program cost around $113,000 for the area under consideration; a 25 percent city cost share on that figure would be about $28,289 for the year discussed. The chief explained that, under the LGW, local districts would still pursue cost recovery for negligent or criminal events.
Council members asked technical questions about how LRA and SRA boundaries interact (when a structure-origin fire moves into wildland), whether response roles change and whether auto-aid remains in place. Presenters said local departments remain first responders, auto-aid and mutual-aid protocols continue, and the agreement primarily changes cost-responsibility for the wildland suppression portion. Presenters noted the LGW is not common in California and that county board and district actions are pending.
Councilmember (speaker 3) moved to direct the city manager to negotiate an agreement with Lake County Fire Protection District to share 25 percent of the LGW cost; the motion was seconded. The transcript of the meeting contains the motion and second but does not include a recorded roll-call vote for that motion in the available excerpt.
Why it matters: Presenters said the LGW would reduce Clearlake's exposure to high suppression bills when incidents burn in or near wildland fuels adjacent to city neighborhoods. Council discussion focused on the program cost, budget implications, and whether a smaller initial city contribution could reduce fiscal risk.
Next steps: Staff requested direction; if council directs staff to proceed the city manager would negotiate terms and return with proposed agreement details and budget adjustments.
