Encinitas City Council to End Shared Fire Service Leadership, Leaving Questions for Solana Beach adn Del Mar
Encinitas, CA – The Encinitas City Council is set to end a long-standing management agreement for fire services with the cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar, a decision that leaves the future of fire leadership in the latter two communities uncertain. The agreement, in place since 2009, sees Encinitas providing management for all three departments.
Currently, Encinitas operates six fire stations with a personnel of 52 firefighters. Solana Beach maintains one station with 18 firefighters, while Del Mar has one station and nine firefighters. The shared management structure includes one fire chief, one deputy chief, one administrative battalion chief, and three deputy battalion chiefs.
Encinitas Fire Chief Gordon outlined the reasons for the change in a report to the City Council in June, citing important growth within Encinitas since the agreement’s inception.”Since 2009, Encinitas has experienced a surge in residential progress, tourism and aging population-related (emergency medical service) calls,” Gordon wrote. “These trends have created a scale of service demand that far surpasses the shared model’s original design.”
The data supports Gordon’s assessment. Encinitas now responds to over 6,500 emergency incidents annually,while Del Mar and Solana Beach combined handle less than 2,300 calls.
with the agreement’s termination, Gordon stated his team will prioritize Encinitas-specific needs, including building new fire stations and increasing fire prevention efforts. Wildfire planning, grant acquisition, public education, and addressing increased operational needs are also key priorities. However, this shift will result in a loss of approximately $850,000 in annual revenue for Encinitas, previously received from the other two cities.
Solana Beach and Del mar are currently evaluating their options for future fire service management. According to Gordon, possibilities include contracting with neighboring entities like san Diego or Rancho Santa Fe, forming a joint-powers authority, or establishing a new management agreement to share the cost of a fire chief and leadership staff.
“They’ve got a lot of options on the table and they are right now kind of trying to get down and vet each one of those to see which is better for their cities,” Gordon said.
Both cities have issued statements affirming their commitment to maintaining high-quality fire and emergency services. Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones indicated the city is considering “all potential options” but declined to provide specifics, noting that public meetings will be held to discuss the matter. Solana Beach City Manager Alyssa Muto stated city leaders are “working to ensure that any transition is seamless for our residents and Fire employees.”
A fire governance board, comprised of two council members from each city, is actively meeting and gathering input from city officials to facilitate a smooth transition. Gordon described the current phase as “a lot of meetings” focused on transferring data, programs, processes, and contracts from Encinitas’ oversight to the individual cities.
