I have talked with thousands of my fellow Tuolumne County citizens over the years, who have all demanded more public safety in our community. On Tuesday, I heard from the only three people I know who demand less.
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors (in a 3 to 2 vote) took an unprecedented step toward eliminating one fire engine, laying off six firefighters and closing one of the busiest fire stations in the county. This will bring the total number of Tuolumne County Fire Department (TCFD) stations from 5 down to 4. Board members voted against the recommendation of the fire chief and the county budget team to cut Fire Station 56 on N. Sunshine Road. This station serves a large portion of north/east Tuolumne County that includes Soulsbyville, Willow Springs, Crystal Falls, Belleview Oaks, Ridgewood, Phoenix Lake and Cedar Ridge, as well as areas between Twain Harte and Tuolumne City, including Summerville High School.
Supervisors Holland, Griefer and Kirk all justified their decision by saying supporting fire was too expensive and that there were no good options beside closure, but the truth is that multiple plans have been brought to the Board since September 2025 that would keep all five stations open. All of these plans were rejected.
You have been told that TCFD is not living within its means. You have been told that after a $9 million Federal SAFER grant runs out, that the county can’t sustain current fire staffing. You have been told that because voters overwhelmingly shot down a sales tax measure in 2024, it means they don’t want to pay for public safety. But this narrative ignores several key pieces of information or is just plain wrong.
The TCFD has been diligently preparing for the end of the SAFER grant by reducing expenses within the fire fund. There was $780,000 saved in the fire fund last year to keep stations open, but this money was taken away by the board to be spent on other items. Additionally, the county cut 15% from all non-public safety departments early last year, which left more than $3 million sitting in a county account called “contingencies”. We could fully fund fire stations tomorrow – without cuts – if public safety is our top priority, but evidently it is not. It doesn’t make sense to use public safety funds to balance the budget if public safety is our top priority.
When I say that supporting public safety is my top priority as a Supervisor, I mean exactly that. My voting record shows I have consistently supported much-needed improvements to fire and law enforcement. I opposed closing the Jamestown Fire Station in 2019/20 under much more challenging budget circumstances. I have also stood strong against wasteful spending at the county, but what is the point of careful budgeting if we fail to prevent a catastrophic fire?
Many lessons can be taken from the September 2025 Lightening Complex Fire which destroyed most of Chinese Camp, but perhaps the biggest lesson is that our community remains vulnerable. Multiple fires occurring at once can easily overwhelm our public safety system, and our brave first responders need more help from us – not less. TCFD completed an extensive strategic plan last year that highlighted the fact that we are currently operating on a shoestring fire budget with the bare-minimum of coverage. https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/25399/TCFD-2021-2025-STRATEGIC-PLAN-signed_1
In fact, TCFD’s budget is a very small part of the county’s overall budget, comprising roughly 5 percent of the County’s General Fund last year. It is common in many counties and cities to spend up to 20 percent of their budgets on fire protection. Despite this, our Station 56 punches well above its weight class, responding to nearly 1,000 calls annually.
You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t live in the coverage area of Station 56, so I won’t be affected.” Unfortunately, emergency coverage doesn’t work that way. 911 calls for house fires, heart attacks and injuries will continue to increase, and the burden of responding to these incidents will be spread across fewer resources. For example, TCFD Station 56 has auto-aid partnerships with Twain Harte, Tuolumne City, and Mi Wuk/Sugar Pine fire districts. By reducing the TCFD response time in Soulsbyville, the County is pushing added responsibility on fire services in these special districts to respond to incidents outside their district boundaries. That isn’t fair to residents in any of these communities. Additionally, the decision to reduce fire protection will almost certainly negatively affect insurance rates countywide, which are already among the highest in the state based on median household income.
While I don’t agree with Tuesday’s decision, I do not fault my colleagues for wanting to make sure our county’s house is in order. But we will never get our house in order if the house burns down. The Board got this one wrong, but it’s not too late to repair the damage and build back trust in the community that we serve. We need to engage our community members in a frank discussion about priorities, rising costs and what level of service they are comfortable with. We can not throw up our hands and say, “well, golly, I guess we better close another fire station” every time we need to balance our budget.
But the question remains, how do we cover the predicted $1.8 million county budget shortfall? We should put back $780,000 that was taken out of the fire fund, and fund the remaining deficit with left over contingencies from last year. This will require no additional cuts to services or departments, will support existing fire services through 2027, and leave roughly $2.5 million left over for road improvements, pay rate adjustments, or other one-time needs. This was the original recommendation to the Board of Supervisors from the County Administrator and the Fire Chief, and I think it is a good one.
We should not surrender our commitment to protecting public safety so easily or accept a reduction in fire services until all other options have been exhausted. Our county deserves nothing less.
-District Two Tuolumne County Supervisor Ryan Campbell
