Orinda Needs Fire Flow Measure N

By Eugene "Gene" Gottfried

Most of Orinda is a "Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone", yet nearly 30% of our fire hydrants are inadequate. We must pass Measure N to improve our fire safety.

A fire anywhere in Orinda can threaten the entire city. If not quickly brought under control, even a small fire can spread throughout the community, as we saw in the Oakland Hills firestorm.

Following the Oakland Hills fire, a review of Orinda's firefighting capacity revealed that nearly 30% of our hydrants could not provide enough water to extinguish a fire in an average-sized home. Many of the water pipes feeding those hydrants are old and too small to supply the minimum standard flow of 1000 gallons per minute (gpm).

The Orinda Fire Safety Committee was then formed to find a remedy for this serious problem. The Committee, representing the City of Orinda, EBMUD and the Moraga-Orinda Fire District, has worked for the past six years to find a practical, affordable solution. A detailed engineering study produced by EBMUD in 1999 indicated that it would cost $53 million to bring 100% of Orinda's hydrants up to an optimal flow rate of at least 1000 gpm from one hydrant or 2250 gpm from three adjacent hydrants. A practical, affordable plan was sought, and the result is Fire Flow Measure N, on the November 5, 2002 ballot.

This plan provides for 48 specific pipeline projects, prioritized to replace the worst pipes and provide the greatest benefit for the lowest cost -- about $13.8 million (May 2002 dollars). At less than 1/4 of the original estimated cost, this plan will provide 2/3 of the benefit, bringing 90% of the hydrants in the Orinda Service Zone up to the 1000 gpm standard. About 48% of our homes will benefit directly from the improved flow capacity of nearby hydrants accessible by fire hoses. The rest of us will benefit from the reduced risk of an uncontrolled, spreading fire that originated elsewhere within the community.

The Orinda Fire Safety Committee examined each of the methods available for raising the necessary funds # including bond issues, parcel taxes, special assessment districts, increased EBMUD water rates , and an increase in the existing fire flow tax. The latter was selected by these experts because it would provide the fairest distribution of the burden among taxpayers and the lowest net cost, inclusive of administration expense, interest rates, and tax advantages.

EBMUD will contribute about 10% of the total cost and can complete the project in about six years. EBMUD will finance the balance at a low rate of 3.8% over the repayment period, estimated to be about 15 years.

The money will be raised by an increase of 12 cents per "risk factor" in Orinda's existing fire flow tax, from the current maximum of 6 cents. The "fire risk factor" is a formula developed by the insurance industry and adopted by Moraga over 20 years ago. It is based not on the assessed valuation of the structure, but on the risk calculated for each parcel on the basis of size, construction, and the presence or absence of a sprinkler system. For the average home, the increase will be about $156.

The ballot measure includes several important safeguards. It requires a 2/3 majority vote for passage. All the money raised by this tax must be used exclusively for the 48 pipeline projects specified in the contract. When the work is finished and paid for -- but in no case longer than 20 years -- the tax increase will end. The project cannot be extended or modified without voter approval.

Help pass Measure N for the safety of our homes, our neighborhoods and our community.