BACKGROUND
Can you provide more details on the Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) provided by the KMPUD?
KVFD was established in 1985 and has always been a volunteer fire department. KVFD provides fire, rescue and basic level emergency medical services.
What is the service area for Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department?
KVFD’s service area is within the Kirkwood valley including the Kirkwood Inn and Cross Country Center. Additionally, through mutual aid agreements, KVFD responds to emergencies for Amador Fire Protection District in Amador County including all areas from Kirkwood along Highway 88 up to Tragedy Springs. In Alpine County, KVFD assists Eastern Alpine Fire Department from Kirkwood along Highway 88 up to the top of Carson Pass.
What facilities/equipment does the KMPUD have for Kirkwood Volunteer Fire
Department?
The fire station is located on the first floor of the Community Service Building located on Loop Road. The facility has three garage bays which house the department’s two Type 1 pumpers, a standard fire engine, typically used for structural firefighting in urban areas, and is designed to carry a large water tank and a powerful pump. KVFD also has one Type 6 brush truck, which is a small, highly mobile wildland fire engine, designed for rapid response to wildfires in difficult terrain with limited access, like narrow trails or dense vegetation; and is essentially a pickup truck-based vehicle with specialized firefighting equipment. Alpine County also donated one eight-foot zodiac style boat for water rescues. The department also has a Command pickup truck.
How does having a fire department relate to my property insurance?
An independent company, ISO, serves insurance companies, communities, fire departments, insurance regulators, and others by providing information about fire department risk and plays an important role in the underwriting process for determining your property insurance costs. Every five years, ISO collects and evaluates information from our community on their structure fire suppression capabilities and assigns a Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade. Points are assigned and weighed in 3 primary categories: Water Supply, Communications and Fire Department Equipment / Personnel. In 2023, and as in past years, our fire department has maintained a Class 4 rating with 62.47. Maintaining a Class 4 rating is important for the purpose of property insurance costs and, possibly, the ability to retain property insurance in our remote area.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF KVFD?
What was the Fire Services Temporary Fire Committee?
In August 2023, the KMPUD Board created a Fire Services Temporary Advisory Committee to gather information on what level of service customers want from the fire department. This committee included two Board members, members from the Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department, including the Fire Chief, and several community members including people who work for both Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Kirkwood Property Services. The efforts of the committee culminated in a PowerPoint presentation and community forum.
Why did KVFD conduct a survey and what were the results?
After the forum, the next step in the process of addressing the operational and financial structure of the KVFD was to send a survey to every household & business in Kirkwood to ask for feedback from the community regarding perspective on the level of service desired and financial support preferred for the KVFD. This results were presented to the Board in March.
What are the next steps being taken by the Board?
The Board retained an assessment engineer who will calculate an apportionment method for any future assessment that may be created by KMPUD. KMPUD solicited proposals for contract services from nearby fire departments, with only Amador Fire Protection District providing a proposal. KVFD is developing an internal estimate to provide paid firefighters, augmented by
volunteers. Once all of these items are assembled, the Board will consider the next steps (in early 2025) of either seeking a new assessment to fund paid firefighters or divestment of the department and closure of KVFD.
RATES / FINANCIALS
What is the annual Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department operating budget?
It varies from year to year. Please see the current Operations Budget posted at here.
How is KVFD funded?
An annual fee paid by each property owner. This is a benefit assessment fee that was established in 1988 and (memorialized) via the Proposition 218 process in 1995. The fee is $0.04 per square foot of combustible floor area. Combustible area is determined by the KVFD Chief based on data from the counties. This fee generates about $65,000 per year for KVFD. The remainder of the KVFD annual budget of about $300,000 is usually covered by property taxes.
At times, the KVFD 501(3)(c) grants funds to help balance the KVFD budget (though the 501(c)(3) funds are intended for equipment purchases).
CUSTOMER FAQS
Does KVFD have any full-time staff?
No. All Firefighters, including the Fire Chief, are volunteers.
How does KVFD ensure there are volunteers responding to calls?
Due to the challenges of having an all-volunteer fire department in a remote, low populated area, almost 20 years ago the District created a two-person stipend pay oncall calendar system in the attempt to ensure at least two volunteers respond to every call.
What happens if an on-call shift is left unfilled or no volunteers are available?
When a shift is left unfilled, the emergency response is provided by the respective county where the incident originated. The response for both Alpine and Amador counties can take up to 40-50 minutes if Highway 88 is open. If the road is closed due to snow, or other conditions, the response is delayed until the road is open.
How and when do you recruit volunteers for the fire department?
The KVFD actively recruits volunteers using multiple methods, including social media, working with Kirkwood Mountain Resort, attending job fairs, posting flyers, networking with other fire departments, recruiting from the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy, and by KVFD volunteers asking friends and coworkers to join.
It seems like we used to have more volunteers than we do today. Why? What has changed?
Volunteer member levels have fluctuated over the past several years due to numerous reasons, including affordable housing, the lack of year-round residents interested in volunteering in Kirkwood, and firefighter / emergency medical training requirements. Currently, many of the volunteers do not live in Kirkwood but still volunteer when their work or their personal life allows.
If affordable housing is an issue, what is the KMPUD doing to provide housing?
The KMPUD currently has housing available for its District Staff and also has fire quarters for volunteer members who are on call.
What time of year is Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department service provided?
Year round, provided volunteer coverage is available.
What type are the calls KVFD receives?
KVFD responds to all types of emergencies including medical aid, fire suppression, hazardous material spills, water and ice rescues, citizen assists and other emergencies.
Does Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department call volume typically change over the course of the year?
The KVFD averages over 124 calls per year. These calls can happen at any time day or night and about equally between winter season and summer season, with fewer calls in specific shoulder months.
What is the typical KVFD response time to emergency calls?
The median time to respond from time of dispatch has historically been an estimated 9 to 15 minutes if volunteers are available.
Why is the KVFD needed to create a helicopter landing zone inside the valley?
KVFD is dispatched to medical helicopter landings to provide fire and rescue services in the event of a landing and takeoff accident. They also assist with patient loading and medical staff with patient care.
How does KMPUD communicate to me about Fire and Emergency service?
Fire / EMS Communications Policy
If I have an emergency, who do I contact?
Call 911, they will dispatch the proper agencies, do not call KMPUD!