Brentwood and Oakley residents eventually might see more firefighters following the cities' endorsement Tuesday of a proposed change in how the area's fire protection district is run.

Brentwood City Council approved a resolution to give area residents a voice in the governance of East Contra Costa Fire District, as did Oakley's elected officials later that evening.

The county's five supervisors, only one of whom lives within the special district, currently serves as its board of directors.

The fire district's reconfigured leadership would consist of nine appointees providing a proportional representation of the two cities and unincorporated communities within its boundaries: Four would be Brentwood residents, three would be from Oakley, and two would represent the county.

Brentwood council members weren't all in agreement with the plan, however.

Brandon Richie cast the lone dissenting vote, saying that changing how the fire district board operates won't improve its long-standing struggle to serve seven communities from Bethel Island to Discovery Bay and the Marsh Creek-Morgan Territory area.

"From a policy standpoint I have to know that we have the backs of firefighters," said Richie, who didn't want to promise them that support without the money to provide it.

This consensus between Brentwood, Oakley and the county — the Board of Supervisors also approved the resolution Tuesday — brings the three

County supervisors will have the final say in a second vote that's tentatively scheduled for Nov. 10. If they give the green light as expected, the fire district's new directors would be appointed by the elected officials of their respective communities within 90 days.

Proponents of the change believe voters will be more likely to approve tax increases benefiting the fire district if they have a say in how that money is spent.

Of the eight stations that East Contra Costa Fire District operates, only the ones in Oakley and downtown Brentwood have enough personnel to meet the district's goal of three firefighters per engine, said Acting Chief Hugh Henderson.

With 48 full-time firefighters, the district can put just two people on an engine at the remaining six stations.

The ideal is to have a firefighter who's also trained as a paramedic as that third person on the engine, Henderson added.

As it stands, however, the county contracts with American Medical Response to provide three paramedics in SUVs who respond from southwest Brentwood, Bethel Island and Byron to medical emergencies that don't involve fires.

Although Henderson said it's anybody's guess right now how much it would take to put 24 paramedics — three per station — on the district's payroll, there's no question that money is tight.

For the second year in a row, East Contra Costa Fire District had to take nearly $2 million from reserves to balance its current $12.2 million budget, Henderson said.

Approximately 90 percent of the district's revenue comes from property taxes, and real estate values have dropped by about 19 percent since the fiscal year began, he added.

The district isn't foundering yet, but if the trend continues it could be in real trouble, Henderson said.

This week's development marks the second time in two years that Brentwood, Oakley and the county have come together to give area residents more control of fire district operations.

In late 2007, the three agreed to pursue the restructuring, but negotiations ground to a halt the following spring when Oakley and the county couldn't agree on a side issue involving the transfer of several unincorporated parcels to the city.

Although Oakley still doesn't have the land it wants, frustration over how the county has been managing the fire district has brought the city back to the table, said City Manager Bryan Montgomery.

"The reality is that we (East County officials) can do it better," he said.

Montgomery and others believe a board of directors appointed by local residents will make better decisions about matters such as where fire stations should be located and how many firefighters each needs.

Another issue he'd like to see those the district serves weigh in on is how much attention different areas require.

The county currently has the fire district providing much the same level of service everywhere, but to save money it makes more sense to devote more manpower to densely populated areas and less to rural ones, Montgomery said.

Reach Rowena Coetsee at 925-779-7141.