On Sunday, the San Mateo, Foster city and Belmont fire departments officially merged, becoming the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department (SMCFD).
Consisting of 152 fire personnel, the consolidated agency provides the same services to the three communities in a more cost-effective way, fire officials said. The merger has been in the works for the last few years, with a joint powers agreement signed in late 2017.
The three departments have been sharing fire service responsibilities for years. The partnership between San Mateo and Foster City began in 2010 and expanded to include Belmont in 2013. The sharing of service has been credited with cost savings and service level improvements, officials said.
The new consolidated agency, SMCFD, has 10 engines and two trucks operating out of nine fire stations serving nearly 161,000 residents daily, with a daytime population of around 230,000. Fire officials are planning a commencement celebration for the new agency on Feb. 2. More information about the event will be released in the near future.
