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The Menlo Park City Council held a joint meeting with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District board Tuesday to talk through problems where their interests intersect: emergency plans and the city-owned property that the fire district leases in Belle Haven.
The district has long been interested in purchasing the city land that it leases for its fire station in Belle Haven. The question came up in 2016 when the city and fire district negotiated to continue the district’s lease over the property at a rate of $1 per year for the next 55 years.
The district first approached the city about purchasing the property in 2013, but the city is wary of selling because, as Mayor Drew Combs put it Tuesday, “property values only go up.”
The fire protection district board made its case again Tuesday, arguing that the district would prefer to own the property before it embarks on plans to expand its fire station, Station 77, at 1467 Chilco St. in Belle Haven.
In addition, the city bought a property at 1283 Willow Road in 2019 that the fire district at the time expressed interest in purchasing, where it would potentially develop a new fire station and relocate some operations there. The property is a former gas station and had some zoning and technical restrictions, City Manager Starla Jerome-Robinson said. Since then, it seems that the fire district is more interested in staying at its current location.
“We’d rather focus on the 77 site,” fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said Tuesday. “We have a long history of being there. We don’t plan on going anywhere.”
As development continues north of U.S. 101 in Menlo Park, Schapelhouman argued, the resources the fire district needs nearby also need to expand. The current station is too small to meet those growing needs, he said.
The district is rebuilding its station at the corner of Valparaiso Avenue and Alameda de las Pulgas in West Menlo Park, then plans to rebuild its Middlefield Road headquarters before tackling a project to rebuild the station in Belle Haven.
He noted that Menlo Park’s boundaries continue into the Bay, so the fire district is often a first responder to incidents on the Dumbarton Bridge and to water emergencies in the Bay near Menlo Park.
Emergency plans
The fire district also urged the city to work to develop an emergency plan for a disaster.
“We don’t have a plan, and we need a plan desperately,” said fire board member Chuck Bernstein. Even though the fire district has the expertise to respond to disasters, the City Council is tasked with managing them under state law, he said. Since fire departments are set up to respond to incidents on a 24/7 basis, the district board said that it could develop plans to help lead during the first 12 hours of a disaster.
Discussions to develop such a plan would likely take place in the summer or fall with a workshop or planning discussion, board President Jim McLaughlin said.
Door-to-door vaccinations
Another idea proposed was for the city and fire district to partner to use federal COVID-19 stimulus funds to provide COVID-19 vaccines door to door to homebound people in Menlo Park.
“If we build that logistical framework together, it seems to me we can make a strong case to get the vaccines in order to (deliver them),” Councilman Ray Mueller said.
Being disaster prepared starts at household and then neighborhood level. You can learn more about what you’ll need at www://mpcready.org. MPC Ready is a grass-roots organization focused on helping residents to prepare for disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires, and to strengthen neighborhood connections.
Please also join us on Sat, March 27 @ 9 a.m. to get an update from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Preparedness Division. You can learn more, and register for the meeting, at www://mpcready.org.
The National Preparedness Goal defines what it means for the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies, and the core capabilities to get there. Being prepared starts with being ready at home. You’ll need emergency supplies of water, food, medicine and other necessities, and an emergency “go” bag for a sudden departure, an emergency kit in your car, and office.
Who depends on you to be prepared?
Our local government must also do its part. Menlo Park has an outdated Emergency Operations plan that won’t help us prepare for probable disasters, such as an eruption of the Hayward earthquake fault. Even 6.0 earthquakes can cause loss of life and injury, and do considerable property and economic damage. The United States Geological Society predicts that the Hayward Fault is the fault most likely to erupt in the next 30 years. Its eruption impact will also disproportionately impact the Belle Haven community.
The Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board has authorized an outside review of the District’s Office of Emergency Management. That review will also include disaster preparedness across the District’s jurisdictions. The planned comprehensive review will give the Fire Board Directors, and the City of Menlo Park Council, actionable recommendations to help keep the community safer.
Meanwhile, please add to your emergency supplies or get started today! Even one small task per week can add up!