Since September 2000, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD), Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District (RHFPD), and City of Pinole Fire Department (PFD) have operated as a functional Battalion, known as "Battalion 7." This concept has been highly successful for all three agencies in the areas of improved response, communications, and training.

The City of Pinole provides Fire and Emergency Medical Response service as an independent department, partnering with the surrounding RHFPD and CCCFPD. This regional approach is coordinated through the automatic aid response managed by CCCFPD Dispatch, located in Pleasant Hill, CA. Each participating agency provides resources to respond to calls for service, and each provides Battalion Chief coverage for 9-11 duty shifts per month. RHFPD and CCCFPD provide two (2) fire stations, which house one responding engine with three (3) fire suppression staff, including at least one paramedic. CCCFPD additionally provides a truck with four (4) personnel at Station 70; Station 70 provides an engine and a truck. PFD has one station providing one engine with three (3) fire suppression staff, including at least one paramedic, and another station for staffing the Battalion Chiefs (PFD has one (1) Battalion Chief on B-Shift; the other 2 Battalion Chiefs for A-Shift and C-Shift are from RHFPD and CCCFPD, respectively). This brings the total station count for the region to five (5).

For many years these jurisdictions have agreed to automatically provide each other with assistance. Using an “automatic aid” system, no departments need to call for assistance. Instead, departments automatically respond to the needs of neighboring departments without being asked via the combined Dispatch. The user of emergency services, often a resident who dials 9-1-1, usually does not notice the differences among the jurisdictions. That means that the cooperation among these agencies is working, each department dedicated to providing prompt and professional response to any emergency in West County.