The Julian Cuyamaca Fire Protection District, the last volunteer fire department in the county whose members respond to medical emergencies and structure fires in the area, on Monday got a step closer to being dissolved.
The members of the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) unanimously agreed to move forward with plans to eliminate the volunteer department and absorb it into the San Diego Fire Authority.
LAFCO is responsible for overseeing changes to local governmental boundaries, including the formation, consolidation, merger and dissolution of special districts. It has countywide jurisdiction but is independent of county government and consists of various elected officials, district heads and citizens.
The meeting attracted a large crowd of well over 100 people, many of whom had made the long drive from Julian to downtown San Diego to protest the dissolution.