Fire chief says his staff will no longer routinely enter burning buildings

With a mandate to cover firefighting services across 250 square miles in East Contra Costa County, Fire Chief Brian Helmick has struggled with a budget that keeps three of the fire district’s six stations empty. Last week he warned his community that lack of funding has consequences.

The East Contra Costa Fire District, serving Brentwood and Oakley Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Knightsen, Byron, Marsh Creek, and Morgan Territory, announced Wednesday “that due to severe under-funding, it has been forced to take new, urgent measures to maintain its extremely limited operations and keep firefighters safe. Starting July 1, the fire district will only send firefighters inside a burning building if human life is at risk.”