LETTER FROM THE FIRE CHIEF

On behalf of the Staff at the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, it is my privilege to present our 2022 Annual Report. I am honored to serve the residents, employees and Board of Directors of the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, as their Fire Chief. I work alongside 92 well-trained and highly skilled professional firefighters, fire engineers, fire officers, chief officers, fire inspectors, prevention and administrative staff members. Together, we provide high-quality emergency, prevention and risk-reduction educational services to more than 40,000 residents within our 25.3-square-mile first due response area.

Although the role of the fire service has significantly changed and increased in complexity over the years, our commitment to serving our community to the best of our ability remains steadfast and focused. This is the community’s agency, reflective of the community’s investment in reducing risks. As employees, we are stewards of the community’s investments.

Our District’s service area is highly diverse and challenging, and your Fire District team is a dedicated group of professionals who consistently provide exceptional service.

The Southern Marin Fire Protection District recognizes the importance of adaptability and continual flexibility to meet the needs of the community, and I am proud of the commitment and dedication of the men and women of this organization to operate with this kind of agility. We continue to evolve and adapt the organization as needed to meet economic and political challenges, as well as an ever-escalating wildland fire season, and even global pandemic challenges! We continually evaluate our programs and service delivery models to ensure their cost effectiveness and efficiency, but more importantly to ensure we are meeting the emergency service, prevention and risk-reduction educational needs of our communities, and to have a positive impact on people’s lives. As our Mission Statement notes:

The Mission of the Southern Marin Fire District is to contribute to the Greater Southern Marin Community’s reputation as a safe, friendly, economically thriving community in which to live, work, learn, play and visit. 

We achieve our mission by providing the highest quality local and regional community risk reduction, suppression, emergency medical services, rescue, marine response, disaster preparedness and community education services possible within the resources provided to us.

We are professional, proud, compassionate, highly trained, and committed to utilizing state of the art technology to provide services that meet or exceed the expectations of our community. 

The Board, Fire Chief and Executive Staff are tasked with being the stewards of the organization’s financial resources, working in partnership with labor, partner communities and elected officials, and other community stakeholders. We have an ongoing commitment to sound, transparent financial practices and work tirelessly to continually ensure our community has complete trust in their public servants and this agency, through our transparent actions. Our public funding is the fuel that powers this organization and its ability to deliver services that the community has directed us to provide. 

We continually pursue alternative, least cost funding options and service delivery systems, where applicable, to minimize the impact on taxpayers and ensure our long-term fiscal sustainability. While unfunded liabilities for retirement and retiree medical remain significant obligations of the District, we have a plan, and remain on track to eliminate these liabilities in a rapid, systematic and responsible manner. Our strategic financial plan not only ensures that we are adequately funding the services we currently deliver, but that we it also includes strengthening our emergency reserves so that we may weather the inevitable ebbs and flows of the economy without being forced to reduce these critical services.

We would be remiss not to acknowledge our community and all they do to support us. We are blessed to have incredibly strong support from our community, and do not take that support for granted. We recognize that trust requires an ongoing investment and we welcome and embrace the importance of this investment. 

One way in which we can report on the value of the services we provide, is through the transparent reporting of service outcomes. This report reflects the performance of our services, based upon adopted agency metrics. These metrics are based upon best industry practices and national standards. This provides our residents as a means of assessing value. 

Finally, it is impossible to fully capture in an annual report the many ways our agency has positively impacted others. We continually look for ways to positively impact this community on a daily basis and this report is intended to capture just some of those highlights. Whether by saving someone’s life, treating their medical problems, educating and assisting a homeowner in reducing the risks from wildfire, or simply helping a stranded motorist, we are here to serve the residents and visitors of the Southern Marin Fire Protection District and our surrounding area.

My entire team and I are grateful to serve you.

Christian D. Tubbs, Fire Chief