Tag Archives: Cambria Fire

Clarity?

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cal Fire, Cambria CCSD, Cambria Fire Department, Community Involvement, Emergency Services, Local politics, Parcel Tax, Searching for Cambria's Reality, Uncategorized, Words matter

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

NOTE: There are readers of this blog who don’t live in Cambria but are interested in the successes and challenges of people from all over this wacky planet. So, for my friends in faraway places like Hollis, New Hampshire and Mount Vernon, New York, I will try to do a zippy summary of the current situation and the recent history that brought us here. I will probably miss a thing or two, but no worries. There will be a long line of locals happy to fill in my gaps!

Let me explain. No, it is too much; let me sum up.

From “The Princess Bride”

RECAP

Cambria fire protection services evolved from an all-volunteer force to a professionally staffed and managed emergency services department that responds to all types of hazardous events. Through the evolution, the community has explored different options to staff and manage this critical function. Several years back the Cambria Community Services District, which has responsibility for the Fire Department, began exploring options that would contract out fire protection to Cal Fire, the state agency that protects much of California. They also provide different levels of local management and staffing to communities that are not in a position to provide those services themselves.

The community was split on how to proceed, so a decision was made to enter into a short-term agreement with Cal Fire to provide management of the Cambria Fire Department, giving everyone time to see if a broader and more permanent arrangement would make sense. The timing of this was right, as the Cambria Fire Chief was retiring, and Cal Fire could fill that role during the evaluation period. In the end, the CCSD determined that it was better for the community to maintain control over the Department. With good data in hand and input from the Cal Fire Chief who served as the interim leader, the board moved forward. After a series of interviews, a new Chief was appointed to lead Cambria Fire.

Moving Forward

The CFD continued on a path to modernization and standardization, using the guidelines, principles and best practices of state, regional and national firefighting organizations and regulatory agencies, such as OSHA. They moved to align with the standards for staffing, training, tools, and equipment and applied the rigorous metrics associated with those practices to measure where they were and what they needed to do to achieve those standards.

During this evolution, grant opportunities arose, and Cambria Fire was awarded a SAFER grant which provided funding to hire three additional firefighters. The addition of these three professional/career resources allowed CFD to staff the engine company with a crew of 4 – a captain, an engineer, a firefighter and a reservist. The optimum goal is to staff an engine with four career firefighters, but the reality is that is not a practical or affordable model for most smaller communities, including Cambria.

(The goal for CFD is to have four people on the engine – three career and one reserve. This has caused some confusion as the definitions used have not always been clear.  The funding proposal covers the third career firefighter; the fourth will remain a reservist position.)

The Clock Is Ticking

The grant had a life of two years, after which the funding would stop, and the cost of these firefighters would fall back to Cambria. It was expected that during the two-year period funding would be explored through the budgeting process. Cambria receives tax money from the county, with a portion of that earmarked for fire protection. Of that allocation, a part is set aside for “administration and overhead.” Over time that allocation of funds has become a bit murky, perhaps being used for other expenses. During the last budgeting cycle, CFD had budgeted for the cost of the three firefighters. However, that funding was removed as part of the Board’s decision to have a balanced budget. So, as the two-year clock moved closer to expiring, the real possibility of losing the three firefighters drove the conversation towards solving the problem. The CFD requested funding. The board looked at the budget and saw no money to fulfill the request. They determined that the most appropriate way to deal with the situation was to put it before the community in the form of a ballot measure. If approved by two-thirds of the eligible voters, a tax of $62.15 would be levied on each parcel in Cambria (with exceptions for CCSD owned and a few other parcels.) The measure is scheduled for a vote on June 5th.

The Ballot Measure along with the Pro and Con Arguments and rebuttals can be found under the heading Cambria Community Services District Special Tax, Measure A-18 HERE

Debate or Discuss?

As we roll into the second month of discussion the conversation has spread out into different areas and positions become more aggressive. Some citizens are demanding a full-on debate of the pros and cons, with representitives of each side slugging it out (respectfully) under the supervision of a neutral organization. Other citizens (including me) are looking for town-hall style informational meetings where representitives from the involved organizations can share information and take questions from the attendees, with the goal of allowing us all to make decisions based on what we hear and see. Both options have merits, and hopefully we won’t get hung up on an either-or situation.

Where’s My Lamp?

Through this all I have been trying to gather as much information and as many viewpoints as possible, and at the same time maintain my own open-mindedness and neutral position until one clear set of factors tips me one way or the other. Of course, I could also abstain from making a choice on the matter…

Yet I seem to find myself advocating for the firefighters, even though I am not convinced that their argument is the right one. It feels more like an issue of fairness than a matter of fact. And as we know, facts can be very easy to spin.

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Popular line attributed to former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli

So here are some facts I’ve been able to gather from various knowledgeable sources.

Facts or Fear, or Fearsome Facts?

Responding to a request for data, Cambria Fire’s Chief Hollingsworth sent me some statistics on the number of incidents that CFD responded to between 2007 and 2017.The data represented “fire” incidents, and revealed the following:

From email of 3/5/2017 “During the above-mentioned time frame, there were 157 fire incidents within the primary response area of Cambria Fire. This averages 15.7 fire calls per year or just more than 1 per month. This excludes all automatic and mutual aid responses. Of those 157 fire incidents, they break down as follows:

  • Residential structure fires             61
  • Commercial structure fires           24
  • Wildland fires                              28
  • Vehicle fires                                15
  • Debris/other fires                         29

Of the 157 fire incidents, Cambria Fire handled 54 of them alone, with no response from Cal Fire or any other agency. Of that same number, 3 were handled solely by Cal Fire (station 10).  These 3 incidents were relatively small and occurred while Cambria Fire units were committed to other incidents.”

SO?

Good information. Hard numbers. But how then do we take that data and turn it into information? I could use it as a counter to the position that states “Cal Fire responds to EVERY call in Cambria.” Really? The data says that over the measured timeframe they, in fact, did not respond to over a third of fire calls in Cambria (or 34.39% if percentages as numbers are more dramatic.) Conversely, Cambria Fire did not respond to less than 2% of fire incidents in Cambria.

So I asked a few follow-up questions, including why there would be such a gap in response from Cal Fire, and whether the Mutual Aid agreement with Cal Fire was in place over the measured timeframe.

Chief replied, “Short answer is yes, MA agreement has been around for a long time. We are part of California Master Mutual Aid. The solo responses are most likely based upon necessity. For instance, an oven fire or dryer fire may only get units from our agency. A small roadside spot fire may only get one unit. Additionally, some of those may be single resource responses from our agency because there was no assistance available from station 10, and other MA responders were canceled because they were not needed. However, there is no way as to discern the difference.”

So there are the facts, and there is the information on those facts.

More Fun With Facts

I had a similar experience with the Cal Fire management team responsible for staffing and manpower, and more particularly the process for ensuring that Cal Fire Station 10 was always manned, thereby providing the critical backup and support to Cambria Fire.

First, I called station 10 and spoke with the duty captain. I asked him about how the “move up and cover” process worked, and if Station 10 was left uncovered for extended periods. He was very cordial but said he really couldn’t give me a reliable answer as Station 10 was not his primary assignment. He suggested I call down to the offices in SLO to get more specifics.

Hailed To The Chief

I reached out to the office of Chief Scott Jalbert, the person responsible for managing the resources for Cal Fire in San Luis Obispo. I had a lovely conversation with Janet, a member of the Chief’s staff, who listened to my request for data, asked clarifying questions, and committed to getting me answers. She called me back later the same day and provided me with basic information related to Station 10 calls and responses for 2017. In summary, the numbers showed that Station 10 responded to 796 calls. Of the 796, 545 calls were specific to Cambria. This leaves 251 calls that took them away from the Cambria area.

I asked Janet about the process that Cal Fire uses to ensure that Station 10, which is designated as a “Must Cover” station, is adequately manned. She shared a high-level view of the move up and cover process, and when asked said the gap time generally fell between 15 and 40 minutes, depending on where the covering engine was coming from.

Sensing my skepticism, she offered to connect me directly to Chief Jalbert.

Tell Me More

When he came on the line, I explained again what I was calling about and why. He graciously walked me through in more detail the process of move up and cover, using a cul-de-sac analogy to demonstrate the rotation they follow. He also repeated the 15 – 40-minute timeframe to get a cover engine up to Cambria. Still skeptical (having driven from various places in the county where these cover engines would come from, while also realizing that my driving skill is so weak that Mr. Magoo shakes his head in disbelief) I asked a few more questions. One main one – ok, if 15-40 minutes is the range of time you use, how often are those times met? Meaning, how many move up and cover engines actually got to Cambria within that range? It turns out that number isn’t tracked, so I don’t know if it always happens, never happens, or somewhere in between. Does the percentage really matter? Well, sure, if the assumption is that Cal Fire is always here, or they will always be here almost right away.

I also asked him about the assertion that replacement crews can come from farther away, including other counties throughout California. He agreed that it could indeed happen, but it would be a highly unusual circumstance where all hell was breaking loose across the state, and things were unfolding in a rapid and unpredictable way. Like the Thomas Fire. Or the Chimney Fire. Or the Santa Rosa Fire, or the Montecito mudslides, or…

Staffing 

We also had a brief discussion on staffing and in particular volunteers and reservists. He chuckled and said, ” I’m working on my PowerPoint as we speak, talking about the challenges I face in staffing all the areas we are responsible for, including Los Osos.” All the fire services on the central coast are facing the same problem of finding, training hiring and retaining capable personnel. And they are all pulling from the same resource pool. The Central Coast is an expensive place to live, and the range of coverage types complicates the issue. Volunteers, as known in the past, don’t exist anymore in this area. Multiple departments, including Cal Fire, use reservists, who are trained as level 1 firefighters, to fill staffing gaps. They are contracted in different ways, including scheduled paid shift, on-call, and emergency call out. Many of these folks work other jobs, and may or may not be available to respond. They may also have to choose between their primary job(s) or respond as firefighters, often at an hourly wage that is below what they get through other employment. This problem continues to exist and grow and has been documented and confirmed by multiple fire department leaders from Cal Fire to Morro Bay to Chief Hollingsworth.

Here’s a link to a recent news report on KSBY.

Additional reporting by Karen Garcia of New Times on the state of firefighting support for neighboring Cayucos HERE

Miles To Go

So we have the numbers, and we have the “color.” I’ll just add a brief anecdote; when I relayed the 15-40 minute coverage data to a CFD member, the response was basically “OK, but I can tell you that just today Cambria Fire covered all of Station 10’s area as they were out of service. Since they were not on an official call, there was no move up and cover engine.”

To borrow a device that is being used to argue against the measure, I will now deploy what I think of as a “syllogistic hanging chad.” Leave the ominous questions out there, causing people to get really nervous about what might happen. Aristotle wept.

Are non-call activities that take Station 10 out of service for an extended time – be it one hour or 4, tracked and managed? Or are there informal practices and agreements to mutually cover that are normal operational events that work both ways? Does it matter? Only if during one of these times something goes boom and there are bald spots in critical coverage…

Brotherhood

One final note on Cal Fire – every member of the service I spoke with was unfailingly polite, willing to answer all my questions and give the best information they had to offer. They all spoke well of Cambria Fire, and they all expressed a real reluctance to become embroiled in any of the politics around the issue. They, like the CFD members, are focused on protecting the communities they serve, and protecting each other from the dangers, physical and otherwise, they face in a tough and unrelenting environment.

Every member of the Cambria Fire Department, from the Chief to the reservists, have been equally polite and committed to open and honest discussion. This really is as local as an issue gets, and while the firefighters are members of a union, this isn’t a union battle.

It would be great if we didn’t turn this into a divide or pit either fire service against the other.

Bits and Pieces

Interesting guidelines that cover Cal Fire”s responsibilities under a cooperative fire protection agreement.

http://calfireweb.fire.ca.gov/library/handbooks/8500/8554.pdf

GUIDELINES 8554.3

(No. 137 May 2017)

  1. When considering potential Amador Plan cooperative fire protection agreements under PRC §4144, the following guidelines will be used:
  2. The efficiency of ofCALFire’s fire protection system in its primary mission of wildland fire protection, as well as response to major fires or other natural disasters will not be reduced or impaired. CAL Fire’s ability to assign fire protection resources to areas of the state during periods of critical fire weather or major fires shall receive priority over agreements made with local entities pursuant to PRC §4144.
  3. CAL FIRE resources and personnel will be assigned, in accordance with PRC §4144(c), to provide the most efficient protection for both the state and local mission.
  4. Each applicant must submit a statement of fire protection need to the Unit Chief that will include a map that delineates the area to be protected. This statement of need will be submitted to the Director with the initial request for service. A copy will be retained in the Unit file.

Cal Fire Station 10 website

Cambria Fire website

Safe

11 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Community Involvement, Emergency Services, Local politics, Searching for Cambria's Reality, Words matter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

 

Small Town, Big Challenges

Beautiful Cambria is a glorious, tangled stitch of a community, full of all the characters that present a fertile field of archetypes for writers in all genres. Real people with real experiences, built from lives lived here, there and the other places we never heard of or never really cared much about.

All of these characters make the community what it is, and what it does.

This is Us?

Each member, from a grizzled rancher who lives independently from the rest, to the retired couples who have made their way here, drawn by the peace and pace of the place. Lifetime residents who have seen the area grow and change, much to their dismay. Lifetime residents who have seen the town grow and change, and embrace and encourage an evolution of culture and spirit. Passers-by who come for a while, turn restless or weary and move on to the next adventure. And the visitors who come to experience the near-mysterious charm of the place, either as a stop on a longer journey, or a recurring destination marked on the vacation calendar, or a holiday gathering, or drawn back by a special memory of an emotional milestone.

All of us, regardless of the how, when and why of our presence here, share in the benefits and in the responsibilities of keeping each other protected.

It becomes challenging to figure out exactly who is “here”; this leads to a conga line of difficult questions around how we keep safe. Heck, what is “safe?” How do you define it? How do you quantify it? How do you apply it?

And even in idyllic Cambria, the question looms – “how do you pay for it?”

In broad terms, Cambria has three critical columns of need that impact the community -Health, Safety, and Education. They are in many ways interdependent, but complex enough to require specialized oversight by a combination of experts and involved citizens.

And they all cost money.

How do I serve thee? Let me count the ways…

Education

I can’t imagine anything more critical to the health and safety of a community – and by extension a county, state, region, country, and a planet – than education. Without even a bare minimum of formal learning opportunities, how do we grow? Without knowledge, how do we maintain where we are? The old saying “how quickly we forget” is pure truth.

Children can and do learn their lessons wherever they appear; organized and managed schools provide an opportunity to start building the fundamentals of good health – physical, emotional and social health that nurture and sustain communities and cultures.

We don’t all have the same takeaways from the same lessons, and that’s what makes for vibrant societies. In a perfect universe, we would all learn how to communicate with each other with a minimum of rancor. We should argue, debate, challenge and share with the goal of coming to better decisions. No need to agree with everything, but at least put in the effort to understand what it is that makes up the disagreement.

Firefighting Services
normal_Cambria_CACambria is home to a professional Fire Department, which developed over time from a traditional volunteer organization to its current staff of professional firefighters, paramedics and EMT’s. The department is officially part of the Cambria Community Services District and led by a veteran, Cambria-bred Fire Chief who reports up to the CSD General Manager. Chief Hollingsworth came up through the ranks and is incredibly well-versed in all aspects of building and managing a department that provides services that extend well beyond the ladder. They respond to emergency and non-emergency calls that range from fires to medical assist calls, traffic accidents, citizen assists, ocean rescue, hydrant inspection and maintenance, building inspections and a range of community activities, most notably the Cambria Fire Safe committee and the Cambria Emergency Response Team.

Chief Hollingsworth and his team are highly visible in the community, engaging with citizens, answering questions and offering safety advice. As the “Chief Operating Officer” for the Department, he regularly briefs the community on the activities the CFD has going on, as well as providing a much-needed linkage to Firefighting/Emergency Services across the state and the nation.

More Professionals

SolidRedGlobeCambria also houses a CalFire station. That team works alongside the CFD and has a set of skills and expertise (and availability to next-level resources) that are critical in the geography of the San Luis Obispo County North Coast. With miles and miles of rugged coastline, forested hills and dense, mountainous ranges served by narrow roads, the breadth of emergencies that require a response is not trivial. Together these professional firefighting organizations provide great front-line support to Cambria and the surrounding region.

 

Healthcare District

healthdistrictThe Cambria Community Healthcare District adds another dimension to the Emergency
Services picture for Cambria and the surrounding regions. California has discrete Health Care Districts throughout the state. In simple terms, they are chartered with providing vital healthcare support services to communities that fall outside established or incorporated areas that have more standard healthcare services.

The primary and most visible presence of the CHD is the Ambulance Corps. This service consists of multiple ambulances and crews that field combinations of Paramedics and EMT’s.
These first responders cover an area that is larger than that covered by the CCSD-operated Fire Department. They range farther north, through San Simeon and at times go past the SLO County line and into Monterrey county. They also extend farther south and are often called in to support other area Emergency Services under reciprocal agreements. They currently operate two staffed ambulances that are on duty 7 x 24.
The agency operates apart from the Emergency Services provided by the Cambria Fire Department. Funding and governance are distinct. The CHD first responders and Cambria Fire employees are covered by different unions. Employees of the two agencies sometimes pull shifts for the opposite agency. They often service the same calls in support of each other.

Confused?

The similarities, differences, overlaps and distinct responsibilities are of course more complex than I’ve captured here. They become more important, however when viewed through the lens of the complete Emergency Services capabilities required by Cambria and the surrounding population. The effect on the community, both positive and negative, probably deserves a serious conversation. Given the divisions within the boards of the respective governing agencies, it would take a heroic effort to get that discussion started.

In the meantime, the collective cadre of First Responders will continue to deliver their best efforts regardless of patch or title.

How Many?

The Cambria Fire Department traditionally staffed responding fire trucks with three people; a Captain, and Engineer, and a Reserve Firefighter. This model allowed for good response coverage to most emergency situations, but it has limitations. Under current guidelines Firefighters responding to structure fires must follow the rule of two; to fight a structure fire from inside, there must be (at least) 2 firefighters inside, and two firefighters outside. They all must be in communication with each other. This process provides a measure of safety for the firefighters. So, if a house is on fire, and the responding fire crew only has three people, the most they can do is fight the blaze from outside until more manpower arrives. I believe there is an exception that would allow firefighters to enter the structure if they had a high degree of certainty that a person was trapped inside and they could affect a rescue.

Granted

Two years ago, the CFD applied for and was awarded a SAFER grant, which funded an additional three firefighters for two years. This additional staffing gave CFD the ability to deploy four people on the truck, which in turn gave them the ability to fight structure fires from inside and outside as needed. The additional staffing also put the CFD in a position to attain and comply with other professional standards and practices.

With the grant funding set to run out at the end of March, a decision has to be made whether the community wants to keep the additional three firefighters, and if so how they would be funded. The way forward appears to be through a tax on parcels within the district; this approach would require raising a ballot measure that would be put in front of Cambria voters on June 5th, as part of the statewide primary scheduled for that date.

The target amount that would need to be raised was $300,000 , which would be spread across the tax base the board determined to be appropriate.

“Never yell FIRE in a crowded Vet’s Hall.”

The process of making the ballot measure happen falls to the CCSD Board of Directors. They would need to agree that a public vote was the right path to follow. Then they would have to agree on the specifics of the ballot measure, draft the appropriate language with the help of CSD staff and legal counsel, and put it again to a vote; the motion had to be extremely specific and reflect exactly what would appear on the June ballot. The process needed to move quickly, as the steps between motion and public vote had deadlines that had to be met. If they weren’t, the measure would likely be pushed to the November election.

The measure also needed to be discussed in open session, and the public had to have the opportunity to give their input.

Advocates

In the days leading up to the public meeting advocates of the proposal, led by members of the Firefighter’s local and their supporters, went out into the community to ask for support. They came prepared and made their case door-to-door, in public gathering places, and visits to local businesses. Their efforts paid off, as the Vet’s Hall was packed with Cambrians, fellow Emergency Services personnel from the surrounding areas, and their colleagues from the Cambria Health District Ambulance Corps. Every speaker who rose during public comment favored moving forward with the ballot proposal. The Board President had a bit of a challenge managing the public, as it seemed they viewed it more as a town hall meeting rather than an official Board meeting. None the less, everyone was heard, and the board then moved to discussion. They agreed to proceed with the ballot measure but hit some rough spots when determining exactly “who” would be subject to the proposed tax.

Equitable Equity

Cambria, as noted earlier, can be tough to “count.” Within the District, there are different types of parcels. There are parcels that are described as “improved,” meaning they have a water meter and more than likely a structure. The number of parcels with this designation appears to be around 3600, give or take.

Next up are the parcels that are “unimproved,” – no water connection and no structure. These lots further break out into different subsets, including those with a “water position,” meaning that they are on the list that could receive a water connection when many restrictions are lifted, including an existing building moratorium governed by the county. (The issues are significantly more complex, but for the sake of this piece, I’ll leave it there.)

Another group of parcels has no connections, no position on the water wait list, and most likely will never move to “improved” status. There are also parcels that have been “retired” through a donation to different land trusts and conservation organizations. Add to these properties that are owned by the CCSD and other government agencies that are not subject to taxation. A complex problem that would need to be sussed before the measure could be written.

What is fair?

So then, which parcels should be taxed? Those that are designated as improved? They have the most “skin” in the game and the most to lose in the event of a fire. But why would other parcel owners not be also taxed? An event could begin on their parcel and spread to adjoining properties; the risk is there and should spread across the entire parcel population. Additionally, many lot owners don’t live within the boundaries served by the CCSD, and therefore will not be eligible to vote on the measure.

Math Problems

The math becomes challenging under either scenario. Assuming that the decision was made to tax the 3600 or so “Improved” parcels, the per- piece cost would be higher. The logic in support of this was based on a few factors, the main one being that the projected revenue would be known, whereas if the tax were extended to all parcels, the likelihood of predictable revenue would fall as lots are retired, merged or otherwise taken off the tax rolls. This could result in a declining revenue stream, leaving a future funding deficit.

Faced with these choices, the Board directed staff to come back with recommendations based on both scenarios. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for later in the week.

The public was somewhat disappointed with the lack of a decision, but most realized that the data needed to be clear before a decision could be made.

Round Two

The Board reconvened a few days later, ready to move the issue forward. The staff, as directed prepared two distinct resolutions. A rather startling fact was shared – what had been a $300,000 target on Monday became a $378,000 target on Thursday. This was explained by the Finance Manager, who, after a careful reconsideration and analysis, determined that the most sensible way to proceed was to base the levy on the highest rates the three firefighter positions could attain, rather than the previous calculation based on the average position rate.

Comments, questions and suggestions were offered by the community. The directors (minus Director Farmer, who was recovering for a recent surgery) went through the pros and cons of the two options, and ultimately voted on the proposal that would cover all taxable parcels.

Next Steps

The staff, with guidance from legal council will prepare and submit the required paperwork to have the measure placed on the June ballot. It is estimated to cost the District – ratepayers – between $10,000 and $20,000 to execute this effort.

Felix Ungar: I was just repeating what I thought you said.

Oscar Madison: Well, don’t repeat what you THOUGHT I said, repeat what I said! My god, that’s irritating!  From Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple”

The In-Between Time

The statistics that measure what the different Emergeny Services teams do are pretty interesting. And surprising.  How much time do firefighters spend fighting fires?  How many ambulances show up at the average call for service?  How many EMT’s and Paramedics do we have, and where do they live, organizationally?  How are the different Emergency Services managed, measured and compensated?  What services are redundant, what services are “extras”, and what value do they bring to the community?  Are taxpayers and ratepayers paying for too much redundancy, or not enough capability?  What does the rest of the county, the state and the country do to provide these services?

More on that next time (unless I’m “encouraged” to ignore it all!)

(For an interesting look at the challenges Fire Departments  around the county face, read this terrific article by journalist Karen Garcia in the New Times.)