11/08/2026
To Our Local Community,
Over the past several years, and particularly in recent months, it has become increasingly clear that the boards representing Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City have not effectively managed the challenges facing our local fire department. Big Bear Lake’s withholding of taxpayer dollars intended for fire services has contributed to serious financial instability. Big Bear City has also failed to adequately address the issue or hold Big Bear Lake accountable, further worsening an already significant problem.
Because of the strained and ineffective relationship between the two local governments, the fire department cannot continue operating under the current structure. The appropriate path forward is to annex under San Bernardino County Fire, or establish a new fire protection district under the umbrella of the existing Big Bear Lake Fire Protection District. This would separate the fire department from both current boards and allow it to operate as an independent district. Such a structure would ensure that all fire tax revenue is passed through directly to fire services, create a dedicated five-member board of directors, eliminate conflicts of interest with other government entities, and protect the local equipment and personnel already funded by this community’s tax dollars.
This proposal has been presented multiple times to both BBCCSD and BBLFPD. BBCCSD agreed to the plan; Big Bear Lake did not. The reason is clear: Big Bear Lake would lose control.
Big Bear Lake has claimed there is a discrepancy in budget contributions. The facts must be stated plainly. California determines tax revenue allocations within tax rate areas, including RDA funds affected by Governor Brown’s 2012–2013 policy changes. San Bernardino County passes through tax revenue to the appropriate agencies, including schools, fire departments, and other public services. The law requires that fire tax revenue be passed on to the fire and EMS authority serving the area, which is the Big Bear Fire Authority. Big Bear Lake’s decision to withhold these funds is improper because the money cannot lawfully be used for unrelated purposes. That is why the funds remain in the Fire Protection District account and cannot be freely redirected. Big Bear Lake’s position that these funds may simply remain there or be used to modify existing City structures is, in our view, incorrect.
With Big Bear Lake withholding millions of dollars and planning to withhold additional funds, the department has been forced to brown out three firefighter positions. As employees have stated publicly, these staffing reductions have real operational consequences. Even under normal conditions, staffing is limited, but crews have continued to serve the community through established practices and teamwork. Due to transfers from BVCH and spikes in call volume, crews rely on “light forcing,” which allows engine crews to use an available ambulance and respond in tandem to additional medical calls. This practice enables the department to staff a fourth, fifth, and at times even a sixth ambulance to reach ill or injured residents quickly and effectively. With a firefighter removed from the Big Bear City station, this essential operational tool is no longer available. On fires, rescues, and traffic collisions, the absence of that firefighter will cause delays and may increase the risk of harm. It also disrupts the proper division of responsibilities on emergency scenes. Captains should be focused on overall safety, documentation, and radio communications. Engineers must safely position and manage apparatus weighing more than 40,000 pounds. Firefighters and paramedics must assess the incident and prioritize patient care. Removing the firefighter and paramedic from that structure forces captains and engineers to take on duties outside their primary roles, creating an inefficient and unsafe team dynamic. Ultimately, this affects the safety and outcome of everyone involved. These consequences stem directly from the decision by City leadership to withhold fire tax dollars from the fire department.
The question now is where the community goes from here. The City of Big Bear Lake has submitted an application through LAFCO regarding County Fire. Big Bear City CSD is continuing to evaluate what fire service may look like for its residents, but no final direction has been announced. Six new board members will take office in January, and those incoming members will have the authority to cancel or redirect the current process. No final contracts or annexation agreements are expected before next year because of the extensive dissolution process. Given the level of contention, the strong public concern, and the uncertainty surrounding BBCCSD’s next steps, the responsible course of action is to pause the process and allow the incoming board members to review the facts and participate in deciding the future of local fire service for the valley. The current boards have not demonstrated the ability to evaluate this issue objectively. Their decisions appear driven by conflict and tunnel vision rather than by the best interests of the community. A fresh and independent review is necessary.
We have asked both governing bodies to pause and avoid rushing into irreversible decisions before the full facts are reviewed. That request is being ignored. The union remains willing to evaluate what the department could look like if all tax dollars intended for fire service are properly received and to review a realistic five- or ten-year financial and operational plan. If the department is truly ineffective or financially unsustainable after all legally designated tax revenue is accounted for, then the community deserves to see that evidence. Big Bear Lake cannot withhold millions of dollars from fire service and then claim the department lacks adequate funding. If injuries or deaths occur as a result of these decisions, responsibility will rest with the governing bodies that chose to proceed despite these warnings, and the community will be informed accordingly.
We urge residents to contact their representatives immediately and demand that they stop this reckless process, fully fund public safety, and allow the incoming boards to determine the future of fire service with transparency, accountability, and the full participation of the community.
I want to be clear in closing: San Bernardino County Fire is a strong and respected department, and we are proud to stand with our 935 union brothers and sisters who serve there. They care deeply about public safety and fire service throughout the mountain communities. Transitioning to County Fire would not, in itself, be a negative outcome, and we believe they would move quickly to ensure Big Bear has the resources necessary to remain safe.
However, if Big Bear Fire is sustainable when all legally designated tax revenue is properly passed through, and if the department can grow effectively under a fair and accountable structure, then the community deserves the opportunity to see that before an outside agency is brought in immediately. Establishing our own district first is a reasonable path. If that structure fails despite full funding and responsible oversight, the community can then ask County Fire to assume responsibility in a clearer, less contentious, and more understandable manner.
Losing the history and identity of this organization because of failed relationships between governing boards would reflect poor management and a lack of maturity in leadership. The public deserves more than rushed decisions driven by conflict. Show the community, with full funding and transparent financial analysis, whether this department is truly failing before making irreversible decisions about its future.
The difference in tax revenue between Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake is the result of state-directed allocations, not a local preference or choice. Big Bear Lake must stop presenting it as though it is. Pass through all tax revenue intended for fire service, allow the incoming board members to take office, and then let the facts determine whether Big Bear Fire is sustainable or not.
Sincerely,
Your Local Big Bear Firefighters
