Marin Voice: In 2026, Ross Valley needs plan for a fire station in Ross

The start of a new year is a time to reflect on lessons learned and to prepare for the journey ahead. As I reflect on my past two years of service on the Ross Town Council, I have reached a clear conclusion: Ross Valley needs a fire station in Ross, and 2026 is the year to make it happen.

Closing a fire station is a rare occurrence — and for good reason. Over the past decade, aside from Ross, only one fire station has closed in the Bay Area. Communities understand the essential role fire stations play in protecting public safety, both for fire suppression and emergency medical response. Unfortunately, in 2020, the Ross council voted to close the Ross station after claims were made that the town could not afford to rehabilitate the station and that response times would not change for 85% of emergency calls.

The station closed last July. Since then, emergency response times have increased by approximately 40%, from 11 minutes to 14 minutes – far exceeding nationally recognized best-practice times. Closing the Ross fire station has reduced the operational capacity of the Ross Valley Fire Department by 25% due to the loss of the Ross engine. On the anniversary of the devastating Palisades and Altadena fires, the decision to close our station seems irresponsible. There are growing fire risks from climate change and increasing demand for emergency services from state-mandated housing growth.

According to the National Fire Protection Association’s Standard 1710, a minimum of 15 firefighters should arrive on scene within eight minutes, 90% of the time, for a typical single-family dwelling fire under a full-alarm assignment. This force is required to perform simultaneous critical operations — fire attack, search and rescue, ventilation, water supply and safety supervision — while maintaining firefighter safety. These standards are grounded in extensive research on fire growth rates, occupant survivability and the minimum resources needed to prevent flashover or structural collapse.

Today, during normal operations, RVFD staffs only nine firefighters on duty — well short of the NFPA-recommended minimum. At the January Ross Town Council meeting, fire safety consultant Stewart Gary of Citygate Associates delivered a sobering assessment of our local fire protection.

“None of you in this part of Marin County staff enough to put a fairly fast, first-alarm effective response force on scene to keep a house fire from spreading to the timber,” Gary said. “Fire success depends on the speed and the weight of the attack.”

RVFD currently staffs three firefighters per engine. Gary explained that under Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, interior firefighting in smoky, life-threatening conditions requires four firefighters on scene before entry is permitted. Three-person crews cannot safely enter a burning structure alone and must wait for a second unit to arrive, costing precious minutes.

If Ross were to reopen its fire station, RVFD staffing would increase to 12 firefighters on duty. Even then, the department would remain below national standards.

“Even if you added three firefighters and got to 12, the newly published NFPA 1750 standard has increased the low-hazard headcount to 20 firefighters,” he said. “So, you have a fragile department that has to get there quickly enough, hopefully, to keep small things small because you’ll never get 15-to-20 people in time to keep a disastrous fire (from spreading).”

The closure of the firehouse was not just a loss for Ross — it was a loss for the entire Ross Valley. Instead of 12 firefighters on duty, we have nine. Instead of four engines, we have three. The remaining units are under increasing strain, forced to cover a larger territory and a growing volume of emergency calls. By 2031, an estimated 1,400 new housing units are expected in the neighboring communities of Ross, San Anselmo and Fairfax. Who will respond to the additional fire and medical emergencies? RVFD must plan for a larger population facing heightened fire and medical risks, particularly with an aging community.

Fortunately, a dedicated group of Ross residents — Friends of the Ross Firehouse — stepped forward with a cost-effective plan to rehabilitate the firehouse and restore essential emergency services. It is incumbent upon all residents of the Ross Valley to support this effort. Medical emergencies, fires, floods and other natural disasters know no boundaries. Only by working together — and by acknowledging that our risks are shared — can we begin to address them.

It’s time to restore public safety services throughout the Ross Valley. With broad regional support, we can do this.

Mathew Salter has served on the Ross Town Council since 2024.