CYPRESS : Council OKs Joining New Fire Authority

The City Council agreed unanimously to join a proposed governing body for the Orange County Fire Department.

The council voted 5 to 0 last week in favor of a resolution approving a joint-powers agreement that would create the Orange County Fire Authority.

The county currently operates the Orange County Fire Department. In addition to providing firefighting services for unincorporated parts of the county, the department also serves several cities, including Cypress.

The proposed authority, if approved by the county and the participating cities, would be launched this fall. Each city would have a voting member on the authority’s board of directors.

The City Council voted after hearing City Manager Darrell Essex explain how it would function. Essex told the council that an effort last year to create an independent district to govern the county Fire Department had been unsuccessful in the Legislature. The proposed joint-powers authority does not require passage of a state law.

“The catastrophic fires last fall demonstrated the importance of maintaining a regional fire service delivery system and involving cities in decisions about how their community is to be protected,” Essex said in a memo to the council.

“After reviewing numerous options for restructuring of the fire services, it now appears that a joint-powers agreement will meet the needs of our communities,” he added.

Essex told the council that state funding for firefighting would not be changed by a shift from county government to a joint-powers authority.

“The bottom line is that I recommend approval of this authority,” Essex said.