EL CAPITAN CATCHES A GLIMPSE OF THE SUN BEFORE A RECENT STORM MOVED INTO YOSEMITE VALLEY. REGARDLESS OF THE NEW DECADE’S COMMENCEMENT, SUCH LANDMARKS AS THIS REMAIN UNCHANGED, AS DO MANY OTHER THINGS IN MARIPOSA COUNTY. GAZETTE PHOTO BY JILL BALLINGER For about two decades, Mariposa County has been trying to figure out how and where to build a volunteer fire station in the Bridgeport area. Now that it has determined the means and has narrowed the possible locations, some questions still remain about the station’s necessity.

In recent weeks, the GAZETTE has heard from a number of residents in the area who say the station is not necessary. Others attended a recent board of supervisors’ meeting to express dismay at the proposed location of the station. Following that discussion, the board opted to look at other properties in response to the residents’ concerns.

County Administrative Officer Rick Benson said “there is no controversy” in terms of the necessity for a station in the area. He said some residents are being financially penalized by their insurance companies because they live more than five miles from a fire station. The County is determined to rectify that situation.

“It is a priority of the board,” Benson said of the station’s construction. “The board is committed to putting a station in that area. We are now trying to find a place to put it.”

Fire Chief Jim Wilson said the need for the station was identified in 1994. As more and more homes were built in the area, insurance companies began more closely scrutinizing their fire risk. Plans and locations have changed over the years, but Wilson said without the new station, “MCFD is under serving the residents and taxpayers of the Guadalupe Valley area. We need to do better and a well-located fire station is the first step in improving emergency service to the area.”

The station will be built with tobacco settlement funds, which can be used at the discretion of the county. “We have enough squirreled away for the fire station,” Benson said. Because Fire Chief Jim Wilson was able to secure grant funds for three other stations, the County can now earmark $750,000 for the Bridgeport station alone. “We wouldn’t have to borrow,” Benson said. “It’s a cash deal.”

The new station would, in effect, absorb the Mormon Bar station. The area that Mormon Bar serves overlaps with Bootjack’s station coverage, so no one would be affected by the change. Wilson said Mormon Bar Station “is in danger of being structurally condemned,” and because of that, it would be “very difficult, inadvisable and expensive to rebuild in the current location.”

No money from the Community Services Area passed by voters would be used for the Bridgeport station. That money is solely for new engines and capitol upgrades to existing stations.

Benson also said that the County would not look to the public for more money for the station. “There will be no new tax,” he said. “We won’t be asking for money. It’s not going to cost residents any more for government than it does now.” Benson said the County will absorb the maintenance cost for the new station, once its built.

Some residents don’t think the new station would affect insurance rates, but local agents disagree. Farmers, Allstate and AAA insurance companies have policies stating that homes more than five miles from a fire station can be uninsurable.

Wilson said there is pressure on homeowners in the area from potential insurers. “The time seems right to focus efforts on locating a station in the area of most need,” he said. Without the new station, Wilson said “the net result is reduced insurance availability at an increased cost.”

Pat Wight, a Farmers agent in Mariposa, said seperating the volunteer stations would be “ideal.” That way, those who are not currently served by a station would be. Wight explained that for her company, having a CAL FIRE or US Forest Service station within the five mile radius are not considerations because they are only staffed seasonally.

The Insurance Services Office determines a home’s rating based on three factors: the distance from a fire station, brush coverage and slope. Anything in the 8 or 9 rating can be very costly for homeowners. Those who rate a 10 are considered uninsurable.