Professional firefighters to annex Spreckels Volunteer Fire Company.

The Spreckels Volunteer Fire Company first formed in 1898 to serve the community's namesake, Spreckels Sugar Company. Today's group of two dozen volunteers claims to be the oldest all-volunteer fire company in Monterey County, and they keep historic firefighting tools on display at their current firehouse. 

The volunteer department is a source of pride for Spreckels, and a regular star at the 700-person community's July 4th parade.

The only problem: They haven't been on time to a fire since at least 2000. 

Instead, the first responder for 15-plus years has been Monterey County Regional Fire District. The district serves the area surrounding Spreckels, but has had a donut-shaped hole in its service area where the volunteer fire company serves instead.

That is expected to change in January, when the Regional Fire District will annex 282 acres in and around Spreckels. 

The board of the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County (LAFCO) voted unanimously on Dec. 7 to approve the annexation plan. Property owners have until 4pm Monday, Jan. 4 to file protests of that plan. 

"Barring unforeseen circumstances, it looks most likely that there won’t be any protests," says LAFCO analyst Darren McBain, based on the lack of dissenting opinion raised in the public process to date. (It would require protests from at least 50 percent of the affected property owners to reverse course; if that threshold isn't met, the annexation will take effect next month.) 

Currently, the Spreckels Community Services District spends about $75,000 a year on fire protection, most of which supports the volunteer company; just about $7,000 a year goes to the fire district, according to LAFCO documents. The annexation will redirect that existing amount to the regional fire district, which has long been serving as the de facto fire department for Spreckels. 

"The Monterey County Regional Fire District services will be funded by the property taxes you already pay," Chief Michael Urquides wrote in a Nov. 10 letter to property owners. "No extra assessments will be required."

The fire district also already has a contract to serve the Tanimura & Antle's farmworker housing units, which will seasonally double the population of Spreckels. 

T&A also owns the historic Spreckels fire station. LAFCO reports that volunteer firefighters are working to hash out a long-term lease to preserve the history of the Volunteer Fire Company and its collection of historic firefighting equipment.