Olivenhain Residents Disappointed with Emergency Response Times

Olivenhain community members filled the Encinitas City Council chambers on Wednesday night to express their concern about public safety. After Fire Department Chief Mark Muir reported the city’s emergency response times, 20 people spoke about their hopes to build an Olivenhain emergency response station.

Muir's report revealed that Olivenhain experiences much longer emergency response times than other parts of Encinitas. While areas close to fire stations experienced a response time of five minutes or less, Olivenhain had responses that, at times, exceeded nine minutes.

Population density was also considered in the report. Olivenhain is deemed a rural residential zone and has considerably fewer people than coastal parts of Encinitas. This means fewer emergency calls than in other areas. There are no fire stations within Olivenhain, and the area must depend on stations outside of its immediate zone.

Residents shared personal stories about their problems with the long response time during the open comment period. One resident shared a story about the seizure of his 2-year-old son and expressed fear about the detrimental effects of delayed response.

Many community members mentioned that their tax dollars go to support the Encinitas Fire Department, yet they are not seeing results in their area.

“Olivenhain deserves the same service provided to every other member of this community, and we need a fire station,” Olivenhain resident Mary Swanson said.

After more than an hour of public comment, Encinitas council members agreed to agendize the item and make an Olivenhain fire station a primary issue.

“Public safety tops our list of priorities time and time again,” Councilwoman Kristin Gaspar said. Other council members agreed and unanimously decided to discuss plans for a new station.

However, the council warned that the discussion would take some time. “I don’t want you to think something will happen immediately,” Councilwoman Teresa Barth said. “But we need to improve response and we need to do it as fast as we can.”

Despite the delay, Olivenhain Town Council President Tony Brandenburg said he is pleased the dialogue that the project has begun. “It’s a good beginning,” he said. “This isn’t about money, it’s about protecting property and saving lives ... the community can’t give up.”