Watsonville City Council · Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 4:30 PM · Item 8.k · CONSENT AGENDA
Emergency medical services contract with Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District
In plain English
The Watsonville Fire Department has been responding to calls in part of the Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District since 1996, most recently under a contract signed in 2019. Pajaro Valley Fire asked to change what Watsonville provides, and the two sides negotiated a new Emergency Medical Services Contract that replaces the old arrangement. A yes vote approves that contract, which pays the City $800 for each qualifying call and runs from September 22, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and authorizes the City Manager to sign it.
People living in the designated Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District area covered by this agreement depend on Watsonville Fire Department crews for emergency response, and the contract sets both the scope of that response and what the District pays the City for it.
Key facts
- Compensation is set at $800 for each qualifying call for service.
- No charge is assessed for calls canceled while City personnel remain in quarters or are en route.
- The contract term runs September 22, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
- The Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District Board has already approved the contract; City Council approval is the remaining step.
- The prior contract, entered into in 2019, had Watsonville Fire respond to Code 3 calls in the designated contract area; the new contract replaces that arrangement with revised service and compensation terms.
Reasons to support
- The arrangement continues a service relationship that has been in place since 1996, keeping Watsonville Fire Department coverage available in the designated district area.
- The per-call rate of $800 ties payment to actual responses, and the City is not paid when a call is canceled before crews arrive, which matches cost to service delivered.
- The Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District Board has already approved the contract, so Council approval finalizes terms both agencies negotiated.
Reasons to oppose or change it
- The new contract narrows the service arrangement at the District's request, replacing the 2019 contract under which Watsonville Fire responded to Code 3 calls in the contract area \u2014 residents in that area may see a different response than before.
- A flat $800 per qualifying call may not cover the City's actual cost for longer or more complex incidents, since payment does not vary with the time or resources a call requires.
- The term ends June 30, 2027, so the arrangement will have to be renegotiated again within the year rather than settled on a longer-term basis.
Make your voice heard
Pick a side and we'll draft a short email to citycouncil@watsonville.gov that you can edit and send from your own account. Emails to the body become part of the public record.
How to take part
Show up: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 4:30 PM, City Council Chambers, 275 Main Street, Top Floor, Watsonville. California's open-meetings law (the Brown Act) gives you the right to speak on agenda items. Remote-participation links, when offered, are on the agenda.
Write in: citycouncil@watsonville.gov (from the address this meeting's agenda gives for public comment)
Put "Public Comment" in the subject line and give the agenda item number and title in the body.
Official wording
FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES CONTRACT WITH PAJARO VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT (Recommended by Fire Chief Schaefer) 1.Report - Fire Protection Services Contract Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District.pdf 2.Resolution - Fire Protection Services PV Fire Protection District 26-27.pdf 3.Contract - 2026-2027 PV Fire Protection District.pdf RESOLUTION APPROVING AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES CONTRACT WITH THE PAJARO VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT FOR SERVICES THROUGH JUNE 30, 2027
Summary written by claude-opus-5 from the agenda and the Resolution - Fire Protection Services PV Fire Protection District 26-27.pdf. It can contain mistakes. The official documents govern.