The fire service in Sonoma County, especially in rural areas, now finds itself in need of some mutual aid from our citizens and the Board of Supervisors. Because the fire service’s can-do ethos and the mutual aid system have largely masked the symptoms, most residents and visitors are unaware that fire and emergency service delivery in rural Sonoma County is in crisis. This crisis didn’t happen overnight. It is a result of 35 years of demographic and economic changes that have dramatically increased demands for emergency services without the funding required to meet these demands.