[San Joaquin County] Rural Fire Districts Urged to Consolidate to Avoid Reoccuring Problems

LOCKEFORD —

Mishandling taxpayer money and poor leadership, just a couple of the issues against the Mokelumne Rural Fire District that the San Joaquin Civil Grand Jury highlights in a newly released report.

The Grand Jury is now urging Mokelumne and seven other rural fire districts to consolidate to avoid the same problems.

Battalion Chief Scott Byous was on his way to a vegetation fire in the Mokelumne Fire District. A fire district now under heavy scrutiny by this San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury report. “There were complaints of incompetence with the personnel,” Ward Downes, the Foreman for the San Joaquin Civil Grand Jury.

The foreman said they found evidence that Mokelumne had been mishandling funds for years and is urging the eight rural fire districts within San Joaquin County to consolidate. The idea of consolidating all the rural fire districts within San Joaquin County is not new but it’s not so simple. “That would be an option to pursue. A very serious option to pursue,” Fire Chief Robert Tuitavuki, with the Mokelumne Fire District said.

While the report does focus on many decades long issues. “There was disarray. The previous fire chief had to leave abruptly, the secretary administrative assistant had to leave,” the Fire Chief said. They’ve also delved into the positive changes since August 2014, when Mokelumne and the Waterloo-Morada Fire Districts agreed to share services naming Fire Chief Robert Tuitavuki as their new leader.

“And since then things have been going a lot better,” Downes said.

“It didn’t happen overnight. There was decades misappropriation of funds, I would say,” the Fire Chief told FOX40.

Using Mokelumne as an example, the Grand Jury is hoping that the rural fire districts will consolidate. “Service quality is number one, efficiency particularly financially, is also important,” Downes explained.

But there are other factors to consider, “So many moving parts. There are different tax rates that each district has,” the Fire Chief said. Consolidation would also mean the possible elimination of 87 board members for all districts.

While the possibility to consolidate remains in the air, firefighters will continue to focus on the tasks at hand.

Each fire district has 90 days to respond.

June 19, 2015

Fox40 Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto

By Kay Recede