Finance for Fire: Ignite Your Financial Success

Municipal advisory and financial consulting services for California’s fire protection districts

  • Financial Planning
  • Financing for Fire Stations, Facilities, and Apparatus
  • Pension Cost Optimization
Schedule Free Consultation
Ridgeline is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board as a municipal advisor.
0
+
financing transactions*
$
0
B+
in financing proceeds*
0
+
financing studies*
$
0
M+
in pension savings*
* includes principal’s prior experience
What could your department do with more money?
Running a fire department is a daunting task – putting out fires, saving lives, managing fire breaks, inspecting buildings, running EMS, taking an occasional cat out of a tree – on-call, 24/7. Doing all that with a limited budget is simply heroic.

Without a long-term financial plan and fiscal situational awareness, fire departments risk forever chasing the urgent while failing to attend to what’s truly important. This hinders your ability to serve your community and leads to higher costs, stress among staff, and dissatisfaction among residents. Outdated facilities and equipment, underfunded pensions, service cuts, funding shortfalls loom larger with each budget cycle.  

Ridgeline is here to help. We are a registered municipal advisor and specialize in clear and straightforward financial advice for California fire departments. We understand the unique pressures you face.  

We help you cut through complexity, make better financial decisions, and get projects funded.

Make Better Financial Decisions
We do financial analysis to give you the data and tools you need to cut through complexity and develop a clear path forward.
Get Projects
Funded
We help you identify and obtain the right funding mix for your project, including revenues, grants, and financing.
Build Legacy of Fiscal Responsibility
With proper revenue structure, prudent debt management, and proactive pension practices, you can improve your department’s financial position.
Ready to discuss your project?
Schedule Free Consultation
Our Clients Speak
“Ridgeline peeled away the onion, took a complicated situation and boiled it down. They educated our board and became an advocate for fiscally sound practices without making it sound like the world was crashing.”
Don Butz, Fire Chief
Lakeside Fire Protection District
“Ridgeline is like a beacon in the fog. Many firms talk over your head or use too much technical jargon. Not so with Ridgeline. It was important to them that we understood what was happening at each step and why. Their costs are in-line with the industry, but the service is unmatched.”
William Sapeta, Fire Chief
Lake County Fire Protection District
“Ridgeline's thoroughness and attention to detail ensured a final work product that no one could quibble with, even if they did not like the political implications it led to.”
Daniel Levine, Board President
Kensington Fire Protection District
Working with Ridgeline You Get
  • Personal Service
  • Focus on Fiscal Strength Development over Debt Issuance
  • 30+ Years of Industry Experience
  • Comprehensive Understanding of Diverse Stakeholder Interests
  • Proven Track Record of Innovative Financing Methods
  • In-Depth Understanding of Credit and Risk Mitigation Strategies
  • Financing with Proper Financial Planning
Our municipal advisory services for fire districts include:
  • Fire Station, Training Center, and Apparatus Financing:
    • Bond Issuance    
    • Private Placements
    • Bank Loans    
    • USDA Loans    
    • Equipment Leases
  • State and Federal Budget Earmarks and Direct Appropriations Support
  • Regulatory Reporting and Continuing Disclosure
Our financial consulting services for fire districts include:
  • Pension Liability Management and Cost Optimization
  • Strategic and Financial Planning
  • Fire Mitigation Fee / Development Impact Fee Nexus Studies
  • District Consolidation Fiscal Analysis
  • Facility Financing Plans
  • Interagency and Developer Negotiation Support
Ready to discuss your project?
Schedule Free Consultation