Six candidates are running for three seats on a board whose mission is probably a mystery to many Peninsula residents.

But those elected to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District board next month will oversee fire service in three San Mateo County cities and some pockets of the county.

Many other cities run their own fire departments, but because the Menlo Park Fire Protection District serves Atherton, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and parts of unincorporated San Mateo County, it has a five-member board. Residents elect directors, who serve staggered four-year terms, on an at-large basis.

Much like a city council, the board provides "strategic leadership, policy and direction and fiscal oversight" to the department, according to the fire district's Web site. It also evaluates fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman's performance.

At its regular monthly meeting this week, for example, the board was slated to discuss the district's long-term financial strategy, consider establishing a disaster preparedness citizens committee and decide whether to increase the budget by $4,000 to buy a 1956 antique Seagrave firetruck.

Of the six candidates, Rexford Ianson is the only incumbent and has served on the board since 2005. The other five candidates have praised current and past boards for setting up a responsible fiscal policy.

Nonetheless, all agree the current pension system for firefighters is probably not sustainable. They differ on how

The district's firefighters have been without a contract since July 2008 despite numerous meetings with a negotiating team. In June, the union filed a complaint with the state Public Employment Relations Board, arguing that the district had engaged in "bad faith" and "regressive" bargaining.

District officials have said the firefighters are asking for an 11 percent salary increase that is inappropriate given the economic climate. The firefighters already earn an average of $125,900 in wages and benefits, with 69 of about 90 union members making more than $100,000 last year, according to the district.

The union counters that it's not asking for a large raise and points out that funding for firefighters' salaries comes from a number of sources, not just the district.

The union has endorsed three candidates: Jon Mosby, a 68-year-old retired engineer and longtime volunteer with the fire department; Jack Nelson, a 64-year-old logistics and safety manager; and Robert Silano, a 57-year-old senior intelligence analyst.

Stephen Nachtsheim, a 64-year-old retired Intel executive, and incumbent Ianson, a 68-year-old retired firefighter, both said they declined endorsement interviews with union officials because of conflict-of-interest concerns.

James Harris, a 67-year-old water purification company CEO, said he met with the firefighters association but then sent a letter saying he wouldn't seek an endorsement, which he views as inappropriate.

Harris has been perhaps the most outspoken of the candidates about the need to cut district spending — even if it affects firefighters' salaries and benefits.

"We're paying Menlo Park firefighters an average of $198,510 in salary and benefits," Harris said during candidate interviews at the Palo Alto Daily News. "When you look at other comparable fire departments including CalFire, what we're paying for the protection is clearly at the high end of the scale."

Because the district is facing the likelihood of dwindling property taxes and millions in loans to the state, Nachtsheim noted that the time isn't right for "rich contracts" that extend for many years.

Ianson agreed, saying, "We just need to hold the line right now and feel out where we're going."