The newest fire district in Sonoma County was formed last year and grew out of a yearslong dispute over tax money that Sea Ranch fire officials wanted to keep for services in their community.
The North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District, forged in a merger of Sea Ranch and Annapolis volunteer fire companies, is the latest test case for consolidation of departments, seen as one of the main ways to reform the county’s jumbled network of fire agencies.
It is the first new district formed from volunteer companies in 20 years, with responsibility for emergency calls over 172 square miles of rugged terrain in the northwestern corner of the county. And so far, it appears to be a success.