HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES NO 10-59 WHEREAS, the City of Bakersfield enjoys the outstanding
distinction of being one of the four cities in the United States,
regardless of size or location, whXch have been rated Class Two cities
with Class One Fire Departments by the National Board of Fire Under-
writers. Statistics show that no city in the United States has lower
insurance rates than the City of Bakersfield. Also, there can be no
question that the City of Bakersfield supplies, through its own organi-
zation and by means of taxes collected from within the City, a measure
of structural fire protection which requi~es no continuing support
from any other agency.
That the County'Fire Department has responded to alarms within
the corporate limits of the City on only four occasions since its
organization, except for protective responses which are made by both
the City and County when the exact location of a fire is unknown but
lies close to the boundary line of the City. On none of the fo~
occasions in this period of over eighteen years has the City Fire
Department requested such assistance.
That during this eighteen-yea~ period, the City Fire Depart-
ment has responded on twenty-two occasions to suppress fire in publicly
owned structures lying outside the City, which included fires in road
district yards, elementary schools, East Bakersfield High School, and
Kern General Hospital. In fact, by agreement between all interested
parties, the City Fire Department has accepted chief responsibility
for the conduct of fire fighting operations at the Kern General
Hocpital .....................................................................................
That any benefit derived by the City of Bakersfield through
the ability of the County Fire Department to combat structural fires,
is highly theoretical. Only in the instance of a major corfflagration
occurring in the County territory, i~mediately adjacent to the City
boundaries, would the County Department be of direct advantage to
the City. Such a situation is extremely unlikely d'~e to the type
of construction in the adjacent surburban areas, the prevailing wind
conditions, and other similar factors. The recent report of the
Board of Fire Underwriters regarding the City makes no mention what-
soever of any conflagration potential existing adjacent to the City.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOL~D by the Coumtcil of the City of
Bakersfield that said Council does hereby find as followsm
That the City of Bakersfioldhas an organized ~ire department
in operation and existence which is providing adequate struct,-~al
fire protection to all property within said inccrporated city, and
that no additional benefit in fire p~otection is received or required
by such property from structural fi~e p~otection given by the Ccu~ty.
BE IT FUR~R RMSOLVED that the City Manager be ~nd he
is hereby authorized and directed to sign a petition directed to
the Board of Supervisors of the Co~nty o~ Kern, for the exclusion of
all property within the corporate limits of the City of Bakersfield
from the levy of taxes for structural fire protection of areas in the
County of Kern for the Fiscal Year 1959-1960.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was passed and
adopted'by the Council of the City of Bakersfield at a regi~lar meeting
thereof held on the 16th day of February, 1959, by the following vote:
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C !erk and ExZOfficio C~jrk of
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,~.a*,_~;,.~.- Council of the City of Bakersfield.
'~;~Y~:2~ t~itY of Bakersfield.