DATE: October 6, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Memorandum of Understanding with the Fresno County Fire Protection District
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Fresno County Fire Protection District (District) for fire and emergency services, effective October 6, 2026, through June 30, 2031, with a maximum compensation not to exceed $26,928,994, which replaces and supersedes MOU No. 18-381 and Supplemental Fire Service Agreement No. 24-635; and
2. Adopt Budget Resolution increasing FY 2026-27 appropriations for Interest and Miscellaneous Expenditures Org 2540 and authorizing the use of Committed Fund Balance for Fire Services in the amount of $1,461,456 to provide funding for the MOU between the County and the District.
REPORT
There is a $1,461,456 increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval will enable the District to continue providing fire and emergency services in the Unprotected Land Service Area identified in Exhibit B of the MOU. The recommended MOU also expands the District’s responsibilities for emergency coordination, fire prevention, and support for community fire brigades. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose not to approve the recommended actions. In that event, Agreement No. 18-381 would remain in effect through June 30, 2037, and Agreement No. 24-635 would remain in effect through June 30, 2027, unless otherwise amended or terminated. In that event, the District would not provide the expanded services and coordination responsibilities in the recommended MOU.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is a $1,461,456 increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. In the FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget, your Board approved $2,000,000 in Committed Fund Balance for fire protection services. The FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget did not include the use these funds pending the completion of the AP Triton study and subsequent direction from your Board. The recommended Budget Resolution will appropriate $1,461,456 of these funds in Interest and Miscellaneous Expenditures Org 2540.
DISCUSSION:
The District provides fire suppression, prevention, rescue, emergency medical, hazardous materials response, and related services within its boundaries. Portions of the County lie outside the boundaries of the District and other organized fire protection agencies. The recommended MOU continues District services in these areas, identified in the MOU as the Unprotected Land Service Area, and sets out additional responsibilities intended to strengthen emergency response and coordination throughout the County.
On July 10, 2018, the Board approved Agreement No. 18-381 with the District to provide fire and emergency services in the Unprotected Land Service Area, effective July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2037, with one ten-year optional extension and a total not to exceed $59,127,832 over the potential 30-year term.
On December 3, 2024, the Board approved Supplemental Fire Services Agreement No. 24-635 to provide temporary funding to help the District maintain emergency response service levels and avoid fire station closures. The Agreement provides $9,000,000 in additional funding from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027. It also calls for the County and District to study operational needs, opportunities for efficiency, and potential revenue sources for long-term sustainability.
To inform a long-term approach to fire and emergency services, the County engaged consultant AP Triton to conduct a Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover Deployment Analysis. AP Triton evaluated emergency response performance, the volunteer fire system, County contracts, and alternative service delivery models. The study found that the current system benefits from strong regional cooperation but faces challenges involving staffing, funding, volunteer sustainability, and consistent operational oversight.
Among its recommendations, which were presented to your Board on August 25, 2026, AP Triton proposed considering a consolidated fire and emergency services agreement with the District to improve oversight, clarify expectations, and streamline funding mechanisms, along with stronger coordination between County leadership and fire service providers. The recommended MOU responds to those findings with a single agreement, expanding the District’s responsibilities, and requiring the County and District to establish a work group to develop a long-term plan.
The recommended MOU supersedes Agreement Nos. 18-381 and 24-635, will be effective October 6, 2026, and continues the fire and emergency services covered by those agreements through June 30, 2031, with a maximum compensation amount not to exceed $26,928,994. The District will continue serving the Unprotected Land Service Area to the same standards of quality as it serves areas within its own boundaries. The recommended MOU updates the terms governing these services and adds responsibilities for coordination, community fire brigade support, and long-term planning. Beginning in 2027, the District will provide an annual report to the County on the operational readiness of personnel, apparatus, and equipment within the Unprotected Land Service Area.
To strengthen coordination, the District will assign its Fire Chief, or designee, to report to the County Administrative Officer/Director of Emergency Services as the Fire and Emergency Management Director. Responsibilities include emergency preparedness, coordination with volunteer and special district fire agencies, grant administration, standards development, mutual aid strategy, and strategic planning. The County will separately evaluate the need for a position focused on countywide fire and emergency services coordination.
Community fire brigades are informal volunteer groups operating in the Unprotected Land Service Area without independent jurisdictional authority or a dedicated tax base. Under the recommended MOU, the District will assess their equipment and provide eligible members opportunities to join the District’s Paid Call Firefighter Program or participate in a Community Emergency Response Team Program. Bringing volunteers into District-administered programs will support more consistent training, equipment standards, and emergency response practices while preserving opportunities for community members to serve.
Separately, the District will consider partnerships with organized volunteer fire agencies upon request from the County or other jurisdictional agencies. It will continue making applicable District services available to specified organized volunteer fire departments at reduced or discounted rates, with the services and rates established by the District.
Finally, the County and District will participate in a work group to be organized no later than the beginning of the MOU’s second year. Using studies and benchmarks agreed upon by both parties, the group will develop a long-term plan to improve response times and network reliability and inform a successor agreement before the recommended MOU expires.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #5, August 25, 2026
BAI #10, December 3, 2024
BAI #14, July 10, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - MOU with the District
On file with Clerk - Budget Resolution
CAO ANALYST:
Amy Ryals