Grand jury recommends changes at single-staff locations
Currently, there are four Kings County Fire
Department stations — Stratford, Island District, Hardwick and Burris Park
— that are staffed with only one person during each eight-hour shift,
meaning the firefighter can’t start spraying water on a fire until backup
arrives.
That situation needs to be fixed, according to
a critical Kings County grand jury report released earlier this month.
Finding that “a minimally staffed station
poses undue risks not only to firefighters but to the communities in which they
serve,” the grand jury recommended that county supervisors fund at least four
additional positions to create “a minimum of two firefighting personnel on duty
at all times.”
“I think, from my perspective, much of the
information that was provided has already been addressed,” said Supervisor
Craig Pedersen.
The report follows up on a similar grand jury
investigation last year. That earlier inquiry concluded that “understaffed
stations could result in time lost in fighting a fire, which could lead to
preventable injuries as well as loss of life and property.”
Pedersen said that Measure K, the sales tax
measure set to appear on the June 7 ballot, would provide a steady revenue
stream to hire more firefighting staff.
The measure would keep the sales tax rate at 7.5
percent in Kings County and dedicate .25 percent to local law enforcement and
fire services.
“It’s clearly a very important step to finally
getting the funding sources identified that are ongoing,” Pedersen said.
Firefighting services are paid for through the
county’s fire fund, a property tax increment that is separate from the property
tax increment that goes into the general fund.
Officials say fire fund revenues stagnated
when property values declined after the 2008 financial crash and recession.
They say the fund isn’t keeping up with costs — particularly overtime
costs.
Officials say they’ve used alternative funding
streams, such as money from a tax the county imposes on the Chemical Waste
Management hazmat landfill near Kettleman City, to supplement the fire fund.
The same officials don’t believe such funding
can be counted on to come in regularly.
Kings County Fire Chief Bill Lynch said the
county paid for three new firefighting personnel in the 2015-16 budget through
fire department cost savings and the postponement of new equipment purchases.
Officials say the three new people are being
used to fill shifts at stations countywide on a floating basis to reduce
overtime costs.
Brandon Jones, president of the Kings County
Firefighters Association, said Measure K would put a dent in the single-staff
station problem.
“From what [Lynch] is saying, that money would
go straight to up-staffing all of the four stations that are understaffed,”
Jones said.
Lynch said if his department receives an
expected $500,000 from the first year of Measure K, it would be enough to add a
second person 24/7 to three out of the four stations that currently only have
one person on duty.
He said six entry-level firefighter positions
would likely be added, along with three higher-level fire apparatus engineers
who can operate the fire trucks.
Entry level firefighters can roll out hose and
start spraying the fire immediately while the fire apparatus engineer monitors
the engine, does other higher-level tasks and assumes backup duties.
Jones said that the ideal situation would be
four people at every station 24/7. He said two firefighters can’t legally go
into a burning structure unless there are two backup firefighters outside.
“I think it would be nice, but the cost of the
staffing is a large number,” Jones said. “It’s going to continue to go up.”
Lynch said the $500,000 figure is an estimate.
The amount depends on how much Kings County residents spend locally in 2017.
“I hope it’s not any less,” Lynch said.
“That’s the kind of revenue we need to be coming in.”
“I support Measure K 100 percent,” said County
Supervisor Richard Valle. “We’re asking the folks of Kings County to consider
helping.”
April
14, 2015
Hanford
Sentinel
By Seth
Nidever
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