The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District board will consider adopting its first artificial intelligence policy when it meets Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m.
The proposed Policy 710 would govern how board members, employees, volunteers and contractors use AI tools on district business. According to the meeting agenda packet, the district does not currently have a board-adopted policy on AI use.
The policy would require staff to use only AI tools on an approved list maintained by a policy administrator the fire chief designates. Personal and free consumer AI accounts would be banned for district work. Vendors would need to confirm in writing that district data will not be used to train AI models.
Personnel and payroll data, district financial data, patient care and EMS records, dispatch and security information, and closed-session material could not be entered into AI tools unless specifically approved. Some categories could never be entered into any AI tool.
All AI-generated content would need review by a qualified employee before being sent externally or presented to the board. The district would also have to disclose when AI substantially generates content presented to the board or public. AI prompts and outputs would be subject to the California Public Records Act.
Staff estimated the policy would cost about $600 per month for business-level AI subscriptions, covering roughly 30 users at $20 each. Through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2027, that comes to an estimated $5,400, funded from the technology budget. The ongoing annual cost would be about $7,200.
The board will also consider authorizing Fire Chief Dave McQuead to sign a service agreement with California Tree Service for forced hazard abatement. Deputy Fire Marshal Conor Lenehan's staff report states the district has used a single hazard abatement contractor since March 2005 to clear hazardous vegetation and rubbish when property owners fail to comply with district ordinances and the California Health and Safety Code.
Staff posted a request for proposals in September 2026 and extended the bid period by one week after receiving no initial interest. Four bids arrived by the Sept. 25 deadline. Staff determined California Tree Service was the most responsive bidder. The one-year contract would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with two optional one-year extensions.
The third action item is Resolution 2026-09, which would ratify a SECURE 2.0 amendment to the district's 457(b) deferred compensation plan. Human Resources Analyst Sandra Reyes wrote in a staff report that the district's finance manager signed the amendment on July 30, but existing board authorization did not designate the finance manager to execute plan amendments. Plan administrator Empower confirmed it has not processed the earlier amendment and will hold implementation until the board approves a replacement.
The amendment would allow qualified disaster recovery distributions, remove the first-day-of-the-month rule for salary reduction agreements and raise the de minimis distribution limit from $5,000 to $7,000. Optional provisions include emergency personal expense withdrawals of up to $1,000 per year and domestic abuse distributions. Empower identified a $1,500 implementation cost.
The board will also enter closed session for labor negotiations with Local 4349 and the Rancho Santa Fe Employees Association, with Deputy Chief Jim Mickelson as the agency's designated representative.
The meeting takes place in the board room at 18027 Calle Ambiente, Suite 101, in Rancho Santa Fe. The next regular board meeting is Nov. 18.
