9-15-08 Newcastle Fire District Board of Directors:
Chairman, Bob Stearns
Yvonne Lewis
Bill Calkins
Michele Elliott
Tom Brodsky

Battalion Chief:  Jay Love

Letter to Newcastle Residents - May, 2009

On behalf of the Newcastle Firefighters Association and the Newcastle Fire Protection District Board of Directors, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support.

As part of our commitment to provide you with the best fire protection and emergency services we wanted to bring you up to date on our efforts to provide a new facility for the firefighters, to bring the wages of our firefighters in alignment with other districts in our area, and to update our equipment in order to continually meet the needs of our District

In November of 2004, the current fire station was condemned by the Placer County Code Enforcement Division.  over the last year, the Board of Directors has been actively seeking a new facility and location for the fire station.  Alternatives are being explored but each one stretches the District's budget very thin.  The most promising available facility alternative is a low interest, long-term loan from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will fund a new facility.  This loan will cover the cost of the facility but the District still needs to provide the location.  Several locations are being considered to determine the best cost option available tot he District.  If a suitable location is not found soon, Placer County has the right to tally condemn the current fire station which leaves the District without a home.

In April of 2009, a small salary assessment was conducted with Foresthill Fire Protection District (Foresthill), Loomis Fire Protection District (Loomis), Penryn Fire District (Penryn) and Newcastle Fire Protection District (Newcastle).  Salaries, wages and benefits for comparable positions were included as part of the assessment.  Currently, Newcastle Fire Protection District firefighters earn an average of $8.25 per hour compared to an average of $10.23 per hour in  the other districts.  In addition, Newcastle Fire Protection District is the only district that does not provide access to subsidized Health an Welfare benefits.

In March of 2009, the Board of Directors reviewed the average parcel assessment for fire protection services within the district and compared it with Foresthill, Loomis and Penryn.  Newcastle's average parcel assessment is $34.44 compared to $103.00 for Foresthill, $170.00 for Loomis and $75.00 for Penryn.

Over the next year, the Board of Directors will be exploring options available to augment Newcastle's existing budget in order to continue to provide you with the best fire protection services available.  Keep an eye out for announcements regarding upcoming Town Hall Meetings.  This will be a chance for the Board of Directors to let you know what progress has been made and to get your input on these very important issues.  We are asking for your support as we continue to move forward with finding a new facility, and maintaining the excellence of service Newcastle is known for.

The Newcastle Fire Protection District Volunteer Firefighters and
The Newcastle Fire Protection District Board of Directors

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