Water District and Fire Department History

Prior to 1926 all water to be found in Santa Maria Valley was groundwater. The early settlers utilized wells, rainfall collection and living springs to supply their water.

In 1926 the people of Ramona, by a vote of 96-2, approved $91,000 in bonds to create the Ramona Irrigation District (RID). This would be the first municipal water system in Ramona serving the central part of Ramona with water from wells that were yet to be developed within the new district.

An elected board of directors was established to oversee the RID. The wellfield land of 160 acres was purchased within the Santa Maria Creek and about seven wells were drilled. The district laid pipelines, installed Jones Head fire hydrants, and built a large redwood storage tank and two large covered reservoirs. This well water system served commercial and residential lots in central Ramona until about 1962 and was instrumental in the early development of the town.

In 1928 the first volunteer fire department was organized naming Charles Weseloh as unpaid Chief in charge of 16 volunteers. They used an old Dodge truck to haul hose to the hydrants. It would be 1937 before they would acquire a slightly used, 1935 Dodge fire engine capable of pumping water. This pumper was purchased for $2,300 through a two-year public prescription drive.

In 1946, due to post-war growth and several disastrous structural fires back in 1943, the people of Ramona approved the formation of the Ramona Fire Protection District allowing the unincorporated town to purchase modern equipment, build a permanent fire station at 9th Street and eventually acquire firefighting apparatus including two pumpers, two brush rigs, one tanker and a pick-up with firefighting capability.

The Ramona Fire Protection District was financed through property taxes collected within the district that were paid annually by local residents. The Ramona Fire Department consisted of 26 volunteers and a paid Chief and a part-paid Assistant Chief overseen by a three-member elected Board of Fire Commissioners.

By 1955 the southland was gripped in another prolonged drought and the wells in the wellfield were inadequate to supply the growing town. As a result, the people of Ramona agreed to form the Ramona Municipal Water District by a vote of 811-433 to bring imported water to Ramona for the first time, thus allowing the town and valley to grow. By 1957 Ramona voters approved a bond for $1,994,000 and joined the Metropolitan Water Authority (MWD), thereby assuring a reliable supply of imported water to the Santa Maria Valley. Since its inception, the RMWD has been overseen by a five-member board of directors elected by the people of Ramona.

Immediately following formation of the RMWD, the Poway pump station was built near the Green Valley Truck Trail and was connected by pipeline to the Metropolitan water supply on Espola Road. Another pipeline was built from the pump station to raise untreated water 1,000 feet from the Poway pumps to the open reservoir at Mt. Woodson where it was treated with chlorine and supplied to Ramona residents and businesses within the Santa Maria Valley.

In 1962 the old Ramona Irrigation District was dissolved and merged into the RMWD. All property of RID including the wellfield became property of RMWD. Today this property is the Ramona Wellfield Park used by thousands of people weekly. Presently the old wells are only used for irrigation in the park.

In 1970 the San Diego County Department of Planning and Land Use (DPLU) approved the massive housing development known as San Diego Country Estates (SDCE), requiring RMWD to annex San Vicente Valley into the water district, more than doubling the geographical size of the district. At that time RMWD built a pipeline and installed pumps and tanks to supply the SDCE development. About this time Ramona was being supplied treated water from MWD.

During 1970 the RMWD also annexed Highland Valley and Lower Highland Valley, further increasing the total geographical footprint of the district from the original 22 square miles to 75 square miles.

Up until about 1975 the original Ramona Volunteer Fire Department had served the small town of Ramona admirably. However, due to continued growth within the newly expanded district the fire department realized changes were coming and went from being an all volunteer to a paid department, while still being funded from the original property tax revenue source.

Up to this time the RFD provided no ambulance service and only offered limited medical aid. Over the years, a private ambulance service was in operation on an intermittent basis that could transport people to regional hospitals but having no life support capability. Despite the new growth and changing needs, in 1976 the people of Ramona rejected a ballot measure proposing a 40 cent tax to provide a fire department ambulance service within the Ramona Fire Protection District.

By 1978 California voters approved Proposition 13 (Howard Jarvis), considerably reducing property tax revenue to finance governmental agencies and as a result the Ramona Fire Department became essentially bankrupt but continued to provide service on a restricted basis. As a result of a strong probability of losing the fire department, in 1982 the people of Ramona approved an unusual ballot measure authorizing the insolvent Ramona Fire Department to be taken over by the RMWD.

By 1987-88 the Ramona Fire Department (RMWD) was contracting with an out-of-town ambulance service to supply an ambulance that was housed at the Ramona station and manned by local fire department paramedic personnel. The Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) fee of 109.00 was set at that time. However, due to a variety of strange and unfortunate circumstances in the late 1980s, the fate of the original Ramona Fire Department was about to change.

In 1992 the RMWD Board of Directors dissolved the original Ramona Fire Protection District, absorbed the Fernbrook Volunteer Fire Company, and signed a contract with CDF (now Cal Fire). By this time the EDU fee had been raised by either an escalator clause or board action to 188.00.

During 2005, in an attempt to raise revenue to keep up with inflation and maintain the current level of service, the people of Ramona soundly rejected a ballot measure proposing to raise the EDU rate from an annual fee of 188.00 to 283.00, including an escalator clause. This EDU fee has remained essentially unchanged for 19 years and can only be changed by public vote. During this time costs of emergency service, manpower and especially roll-out calls for medical aid have increased significantly.

Presently, RMWD owns all apparatus including three ambulances, two pumpers, and one rescue rig and miscellaneous apparatus. RMWD also owns three fire stations and is responsible for all care, maintenance and replacement of this infrastructure, including uniforms, fuel and miscellaneous equipment. Under the yearly contract, Cal Fire provides manpower only. Besides fire prevention and fire suppression, a major part of the Cal Fire service includes medical aid and assistance, ambulance transport and advanced life support.

This commentary was written from my personal historical knowledge to inform the people of Ramona how the town was only able to develop because the people actually created the RMWD while giving it the authority to import and distribute water. It was also written to open a public discussion about the future of the fire department and the ambulance service. This is my personal opinion and was not solicited by any action or direction from the RMWD Board of Directors.

Darrell Beck, Ramona Municipal Water District Board director and president (2009-16), is a former fireman and assistant chief for the Ramona Volunteer Fire Department (1959-1971).