The West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District has joined the city of Patterson’s lawsuit against Stanislaus County and the Stanislaus County Redevelopment Agency over the controversial West Park project.

The district’s board of directors authorized that action at a special meeting on July 17.

Richard Gaiser, a retired district fire chief who now serves as a special projects coordinator, said district leaders decided to join the lawsuit to ensure that fire protection needs were adequately addressed by West Park.

“The basis for intervening is to ensure that the West Park development adequately mitigates its impact on district facilities, equipment and operational expenses from the initial portions of the project until its conclusion,” a press release stated. “Although the district has consistently requested to be informed about the project, that has not occurred and there is no concrete assurance for mitigation to ensure adequate provision of fire suppression, prevention and emergency medical services.”

West Park, a 4,800-acre project on and around the Crows Landing airfield, proposes the creation of an inland port served by a short-haul rail link to the Port of Oakland, general aviation operations and a business/industrial park.

“West Park will have a major impact on the fire protection district,” Gaiser commented. “One of the concerns is that we are going to have aircraft flying in and out of there and we need to be adequately prepared for that. We also must be prepared for the impacts from the railroad, industrial and other aspects of the project.”

Joining the lawsuit, he stressed, does not mean that the fire district is taking a position on the project.

“It is not whether we are for or against the project,” Gaiser said. “We just want to ensure that we are prepared to handle its impacts, and we don’t want the rest of the constituents in the district to have to pay for their fire protection. By joining the lawsuit we are just making sure that the county will talk to us and that we have a seat on the table to make sure our concerns are met.”

The West Stanislaus Fire Protection District serves the unincorporated areas of Stanislaus County west of the San Joaquin River.

The district has seven fire stations, including one in Crows Landing and one it shares with the city of Newman.