Council again alleges inequity in fire department agreement

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee City Council members continued to express concern this week about what they say is an inequity in service provided by the Riverside County Fire Department.

The City of Menifee does not have its own fire department. It contracts with the County Fire Department and participates in a cooperative agreement with County fire stations serving neighboring cities. When assistance is required by a neighboring city, one or more units from a Menifee fire station is assigned to provide that aid, and vice versa.

Council members have questioned this system in previous meetings when monthly or quarterly reports are provided by Mark Scovill, the division chief assigned to Menifee. Council member Dan Temple brought up the issue again at Wednesday’s meeting, which County Fire Chief Bill Weiser attended.

Temple’s questions concerned the monthly report for January, 2025. It shows under the category “Assistance Given” that during that time period, Menifee fire stations made 36 assistance runs to support Wildomar and 31 to support Perris. In return, Perris assisted Menifee 6 times and Wildomar zero.

“I’m concerned about mutual aid given to Perris – about the resources being sent to Perris because of their inability to prepare resources for their citizens,” Temple said.

This comment was in reference to the fact that Perris has only two fire stations for a city of 81,000. At a report given at a November 2024 council meeting, it was stated that in the last year, Menifee fire stations have responded to Perris 518 times. In return, Menifee – which has four fire stations -- has received assists from Perris only 121 times.

Overall during that time period, Menifee Fire Department stations made 1,688 “assist” runs to supplement the coverage of other departments. In return, Menifee received only 820 assists from other cities.

“That’s a lot of taxpayer money going to another city and leaving our residents vulnerable,” council member Dean Deines said during the November meeting. “I don’t think our taxpayers would be too excited to know that their tax dollars are going to other cities.”

Perris officials might argue that they need more help than Menifee because they have fewer fire stations. To Menifee council members, that is exactly the point. They say Perris officials should be taking steps to add to their resources to better protect their own city.

“Menifee is in line to open a new fire station (in the Heritage Lake community),” Temple said on Wednesday. “I feel that could be another resource Perris could use. How can we address this so Perris can take care of Perris?”

Weiser tried to reassure council members that Perris is making attempts to bolster its fire department. Plans are in place to build a third station near the southern border with Menifee, but he admitted this could take two years or more.

“I have had many conversations with Menifee and also with Perris on this issue,” Weiser said. “They are in the process of establishing a station on the southern border. I believe they are striving to build a new station to support not only Perris, but to help Menifee. I think they really are trying to fast track it.”

Deines, whose past experience includes working on budgeting for Riverside County, re-emphasized his concern for the cost to Menifee taxpayers of assistance trips to other cities.

“That’s a lot of streets we can pave, money we could use to build a community center,” he said. “If we’re the only ones doing out part … it’s not very fair that we’re the only ones living up to the agreement.”