Better fire protection for less money. Good move, Turlock, joining Modesto

Turlock leaders succeeded in putting a ruckus over fire department changes in their rear view mirror, agreeing Tuesday to hire the Modesto Fire Department to manage fire services in Turlock.

The merger will provide better protection for the people of Turlock while saving them money, and no one will see any difference in operations. It’s that simple.

Last month, fear of the unknown played an outsized role in a Turlock City Council brawl over fire services. The firefighters’ union, a former councilman and others whipped up passionate opposition to the idea of contracting with Modesto.

But the union changed its mind and got on board, and that was enough to quell skepticism before Tuesday’s 4-1 vote, with only Councilwoman Nicole Larson dissenting.

What changed?

“We just met with (Turlock firefighters), talked with them, answered their questions and built a relationship with them,” Modesto Fire Chief Alan Ernst said in a telephone interview.

The result — getting on the same page — is not surprising in the least. Good communication can solve problems on every level in every domain, from marriage to national politics.

All signs suggest Modesto Fire knows what it’s doing. The department has been running fire departments in Oakdale, rural Oakdale and Ceres, and will take on Riverbank and Waterford plus the towns of Empire, Hickman and LaGrange thanks to the Modesto City Council ratifying an agreement with the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire District in a separate Tuesday meeting.

With Turlock, Modesto now manages fire departments protecting three fourths of Stanislaus County’s population. That’s no small thing.

The advantage to regionalization is simple. The smaller agencies no longer have to pay their own fire chief, because Modesto’s runs the show. Other economies of scale ripple throughout the entire operation.

Also, tapping into the larger department means the smaller ones get paramedics trained in advanced life support, and access to hazmat and technical rescue expertise.

Impressive Modesto fire response

Monday’s fire at Stanislaus Farm Supply in west Ceres proved to be the biggest test since that city’s merger with Modesto, and Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez came away impressed. “The response was so quick. It’s like proof in the pudding” that the contract is worthwhile, the mayor said.

A difference between Modesto’s contracts with Oakdale, Oakdale Rural and Ceres, and those with Stanislaus Consolidated and Turlock: Firefighters in the first group actually became Modesto employees, while those in the latter group do not; their services will just be managed by Modesto. But that’s a structural difference that no one who needs a house fire doused or emergency care in an accident will see.

Detractors may point to a failed merger between the Modesto department, the Salida Fire District and the Stanislaus County fire warden’s office. That entity, the Modesto Regional Fire Authority, disbanded only 3 1/2 years after forming in 2011.

But that was entirely different. MRFA was a true joint powers agency governed jointly by politicians from the three sponsoring agencies — a set-up that proved fraught with political games. The others are straight service contracts; one side pays and the other simply provides a service, at a cost lower than before.

Meanwhile, the Modesto department continues supporting the Oakdale Rodeo and parade, and will the Ceres Street Faire, Riverbank Cheese and Wine Festival and various Turlock events, hopefully reassuring people that they don’t have to sacrifice nostalgia and pride in their fire heroes for modern efficiency.

This story was originally published January 24, 2022 at 5:25 PM.