West Slope fire department nearly out of money
By Richard Chang, Sacramento Bee
The El Dorado County Fire Protection District is teetering on the verge of insolvency after running deficits for years, according to documents obtained by the Bee.
The district’s reserve fund is down to $130,000, from a peak of $1.4 million in 2008. The department serves 74,000 residents spread over 281 square miles, including the communities of Placerville and Shingle Springs.
“We’ve been using our reserves to balance our budget,” said Michael Hardy, the fire chief who was appointed in June.
