The Cayucos Fire District is gearing up for a series of community meetings to discuss the fire department’s future and more specifically an upcoming vote on increasing the local fire tax to save it from dissolution.

Cayucos Fire Capt. Mark Walton said in a news release that the fire chief has decided to “temporarily staff the department,” using reserve firefighters from other agencies to supplement the volunteer paid-call firefighters they already have, many of whom have been with the department 25-30 years.

The difference, he explained, is that they will have two people at the station all the time, instead of having everyone respond from home once a call goes out. A contract with Cal Fire to staff its seasonal station in Cayucos year-round provides other crewmembers. But the temporary staffing will only be in place until June 30.

Cayucos has long had staffing issues. Capt. Walton said since 2005 they have been contracting with Cal Fire for the extra staffing in the off-season, through a so-called Amador Agreement. (During fire season that station is staffed and responds to Cayucos’ fire incidents through mutual aid agreements.)

But the costs for what was originally an affordable and convenient arrangement has skyrocketed to a point where it would eat up more than half the department’s annual budget, and so is no longer such a bargain.

Now, they also have had extreme difficulty recruiting volunteer firefighters “due to changing demographics in the community.” Essentially, their volunteers need to actually live in Cayucos or North Morro Bay in order to be able to respond when needed.

The department is at a point where a huge decision has to be made — either raise taxes enough to create a full time, professional department or turn fire and emergency medical services over to SLO County and lose local control.

This issue has been brewing since at least last October, when district commissioners, who are elected officials, directed the department to write a proposal including budgetary needs to go to a “full-time career status” department. They’ve now completed that plan and it’s pretty much “All-in” with the June 7 vote on “Measure C-16.” Cayucos already pays a special fire tax, and Meas. C-16 would greatly raise that tax.

Capt. Walton said they plan to have three public meetings, the first scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 at the Cayucos Vet’s Hall. A second and third meeting will be scheduled in April and May (dates, times TBA) “to reach as many members of community as possible, so an informed decision may be made at the election,” Capt. Walton said.

Cayucos residents have a long history of coming through in a pinch. The community has supported breaking ties with Morro Bay and building its own sewer treatment plant and prior to that residents rallied support to raise money to help rebuild the Cayucos Pier.

And perhaps in its biggest show of support ever, the community passed two bond measures to pay for rebuilding Cayucos School and holds numerous fund-raising events annually to support special programs at the school.