BY CATHERINE BOWEN / THE REPORTER
Posted: 07/06/2011 01:01:53 AM PDT
A recent Solano County grand jury report is challenging the way two county fire departments do business, and one department is firing back.
In the report, which was issued Tuesday, the grand jury raised an eyebrow at the Vacaville and Vallejo fire departments' use of volunteer and reserve firefighters -- or lack thereof. Of the county's seven fire departments, only these two have chosen not to utilize non-paid firefighting personnel.
"Because the relationship between the fire departments and cities is crucial to the well being of the citizens given the crucial functions they perform, fire department volunteer programs are beneficial to the community," the report stated.
It went on to say that the mixture of career and volunteer firefighters "eases the burden on already restricted budgets" and recommend that the cities "take advantage of the use of volunteers in their firefighting services."
However, according to Vacaville Fire Chief Brian Preciado, not only did the grand jury reach its conclusion without talking to anyone in the fire department, but their findings are groundless.
"It's unfortunate for them to draw conclusions without interviewing me. They're right about one thing though," he said, "we don't have any volunteers."
The Vacaville Fire Department, Preciado said, has always been a fully-paid department, and that's something he said he has no interest in changing.
According to the report, there are currently 71 sworn, full-time firefighters and four civilian employees in the Vacaville department. This is in stark contrast to the Fairfield Fire Department, which, according to the report, relies heavily on volunteerism and spends about $35,000 on volunteer programs.
"I feel the grand jury report drew conclusions without evidence," Preciado said, "I don't think it's fair for them to conclude that we should have volunteers."
He noted that the quality of service enjoyed by the Vacaville community is largely due to the dedicated, fully paid department and the unparalleled level of professionalism provided by the full-time firefighting personnel.
Still, Preciado said he has hopes of one day mirroring the Explorer program utilized by the Fairfield and Benicia fire departments -- a group of cadets trained in basic CPR and firefighting skills. That, however, takes both time and resources -- something that current budget constraints won't permit.
"I live in this community," Preciado said, "and so do a number of the department's firefighters and it's important to know that we have ample fire protection."
In the case of the Vallejo Fire Department, the 35 "volunteerless" years of operation come as the result of union concerns over displacing career firefighters, as well as the costs associated with providing workers' compensation. The report went on to say that Vallejo does not currently have the resources necessary to launch a volunteer program, as well as having volunteer availability and "safety issues."
http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_18416634
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