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Station 59 - 14506 Rough and Ready Highway
Mission Statement
This District shall provide fire protection, fire suppression, rescue and emergency medical services, education in fire safety and emergency standards, and other services to protect lives and property while maintaining the highest level of safety for firefighters/rescue personnel. Services shall be provided in a professional manner within the economic and demographic limitations of our community and in recognition of the need for dedicated volunteer involvement, as appropriate, using innovation and flexibility in response to local needs and conditions.
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For Immediate Release
September 16, 2022
Penn Valley and Rough and Ready Fire Departments Explore District Consolidation with New Committee
A committee with representatives from both districts has been formed with a mission to improve emergency response times, equipment, and staffing and ensure long-term fiscal solvency.
Nevada County, Ca— September 16, 2022 — On September 7, a new committee consisting of board members from both districts officially launched a feasibility study, taking the first step toward consolidating the two adjacent fire districts. During the first meeting, areas of concern were outlined, a mission statement was adopted, and a goal was set to complete the feasibility study by July 1, 2023. It was also agreed that no final decisions would be made without extensive community engagement and feedback.
Rough and Ready Fire Department currently responds to many Penn Valley emergencies as the closest resource available. With the Rough and Ready Fire Department now staffed part-time, this impacts Penn Valley Fire Protection District’s (PVFPD) response and the overall safety of residents in the entire region. It is the goal of both agencies to guarantee 24/7 coverage to 100% of the current residents in the Penn Valley and Rough and Ready Footprint. The newly formed committee is exploring the specifics of how this can be achieved and will seek community feedback on how to best move forward.
“This is an exciting time for our area. We have leadership from both districts coming to the table, rolling up their sleeves, and getting to work on figuring this out. It needs to be a win across the board for all our residents and firefighters, now and well into the future.” Says committee member and Penn Valley Fire District Board Vice Chairman Terry McMahan. “It won’t be easy, but I’m encouraged to see many stepping up to respond to our current situation and build a sustainable plan.” Adds Tom Nelson, Rough & Ready Vice Chairperson.
On September 13, the Rough and Ready Fire Board named current Penn Valley Fire Chief Don Wagner as Operational Chief for Rough and Ready Fire. In this role, he will oversee daily operations and staff management and advise the committee on how to streamline administration and improve regional emergency coverage. “In 1996, when I started, we took about 650 calls a year. Now we are looking at over 1700 per year. This job has changed, and our agencies need to adapt to meet the need. We know this is a big concern for our residents, and we hope they become part of the solution by providing feedback. Right now, however, we want to stress that services will not be interrupted in either district.”
Oversight of the committee will be conducted by Nevada County Board of Supervisors Representative Sue Hoek and Local Area Formation Council Executive S.R. Jones, with final approval by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors.
“I’m inspired by the commitment of everyone involved. It is a complex problem that requires methodical review, and we want everyone impacted to be part of the process. We hope folks will consider joining the regular board meetings, and we will be planning town halls in 2023 to gather additional feedback.” Adds Sue Hoek.
Regular board meetings:
Complete List of Committee Members:
Bruce Stephenson, Penn Valley Chairperson Committee spokesperson:
Tom Nelson, Rough & Ready Vice Chairperson
Terry McMahan, Penn Valley Director
Doug Wittler, Rough & Ready Director
Committee Advisors:
Don Wagner, Penn Valley Fire Chief
Sue Hoek, Nevada County Supervisor District 4
S.R. Jones, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) Executive Officer
FOR THE LATEST UPDATED INFORMATION, VISIT
SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY YARD SALE DONATES FUNDS TO FIRE DEPARTMENT
(L to R: Rough and Ready Fire Protection District Director Tom Nelson, Grange Master Mike Roman, Mary Lou Roman, Upper Rough and Ready Firewise Community leaders Jim Mezzetta and John Wetzel, Squirrel Creek HOA representative Sharon Loucks, Anna Dalcour, RaRFPD Director Doug Wittler, James Dalcour and RaRFPD Board Chairman Sheridan Loungway)
(L to R : Rough and Ready Fire Protection District Board Chairman Sheridan Loungway, Rough and Ready Village Mobile Home Park Managers Sean Curtis and Mary Ann Nelson, and RaRFPD Director Craig Ashcraft)
Members of four Rough and Ready community groups and businesses assembled on Monday, Oct. 24 to present their donations, raised by the recent Community Wide Yard Sale, to the Board of Directors of the Rough and Ready Fire Protection District.
Leaders of the Rough and Ready Grange #795, the Upper Rough and Ready Firewise Community, the Rough and Ready Village Mobile Home Park and the Squirrel Creek Homeowners Association presented the Fire Department with checks totaling $3,600.
The First Annual Community Wide Yard Sale, held at two locations in Rough and Ready over the weekend of October 15 and 16, saw hundreds of locals and area friends visit the sites and find items of interest. “We love our Fire Department,” said Mary Ann Nelson, co-manager of Rough and Ready Village and one of the the originators of the fundraising idea, “and we’re so happy to be able to show them how much this town appreciates them.”
Members of all these groups spent countless hours, collecting and transporting items, cleaning them and preparing them for the sale.
“It truly speaks to the spirit of this community,” said Board of Directors Chairman Sheridan Loungway, “that so many people from different groups pulled together and worked so hard toward a common goal: helping their Fire Department.”
MONTHLY SPAGHETTI FEED RETURNS!
Join us on the 2nd Thursday of the month!
Get together with your friends and neighbors...and meet new ones...at the monthly Fire Department Spaghetti Feed, now back after a COVID Imposed hiatus! Enjoy a delicious Spaghetti Dinner, provided by Behind the Scenes: Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed green salad and garlic bread. Dinner begins serving at 5pm. Donations are gratefully accepted!
Ask, too, how you can join BTS (Behind the Scenes), a great organization of Firefighters and community members, whose focus is supporting our Firefighters!
STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
July 12, 2022
The current Administration of the Rough and Ready Fire Protection District has reached out and met with the Employees' Union Representatives, neighboring Fire Districts, our County District 4 Supervisor, LAFCo Representative, ECC (Emergency Command Center) and community groups over the past several months to find a sustainable solution to our budgetary restrictions.
To ensure fiscal stability, the Rough and Ready Fire Protection District is temporarily suspending staffing two days out of the week on a rotating basis, beginning July 15th. During this time our Mutual Aid Agreements with our neighboring agencies will cover our response within the Fire District, with little or no time delay.
We appreciate the continuing support and participation of the community in this matter.
Board of Directors
Rough and Ready Fire Protection District
A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
14506 Rough and Ready Hwy
Mailing address: PO Box 10
Rough and Ready, CA 95975
Email: rarfpd@gmail.com
Office 530-432-1140
Fax 530-432-9076.