IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has voted to provide fire protection to Hemet, with some conditions.
Board members voted 4-0 Tuesday to move forward with such an agreement, but only if Hemet completes its negotiations with its firefighters union and implements paramedic service, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise.
Supervisor John Tavaglione did not attend the meeting.
Hemet does not have a formal paramedic program, even though most of its firefighters are certified paramedics. The city gets that service from AMR, a private ambulance provider, according to the report.
The contract is scheduled to take effect July 1. However, the agreement could be revised if Hemet elects new council members in November who want to take a second look at the contract, according to the report.
County Fire Chief John Hawkins told the board that the county has two fire stations near the east end of Hemet, where the city has not station.
Last week, the Hemet City Council voted to contract with the county for its fire service in an attempt to save money, effectively ending the city’s 106-year-old fire department. Tuesday’s meeting included several Hemet residents who spoke against the agreement.
