County fire station could close in cost-cutting move

Riverside County supervisors Tuesday will mull a series of cost-cutting proposals by the Fire Department that could involve eliminating a fire station, de-activating the agency’s hazardous materials unit and
reducing crew strengths.

Chief John Hawkins and his staff submitted a report to the Board of Supervisors last week containing a list of actions that could net the county more than $10 million in savings.

The county is anticipating a potential $12 million increase in fire department expenses in the 2017-18 fiscal year based on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with Cal Fire personnel that’s awaiting Gov.
Jerry Brown’s signature.

The county contracts with Cal Fire for fire services, relying on more than 1,000 state firefighters to respond to emergencies countywide.

The board is contending with red ink in the current fiscal year and is preparing for cost spikes that threaten to eat up the county’s reserves without careful planning going into the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Hawkins’ report recommended that the board consider shuttering the Poppet Flats firehouse, No. 63, in the Banning Pass, as well as de-activate the hazmat team, as near-term cost-saving measures. The actions would result in about $3.2 million in annual cost reductions, according to the report.

Hawkins’ list also, unexpectedly, proposed a move away from three-person engines wherever possible, despite his preference for larger crews to handle emergencies.

“Because of funding difficulties necessary to retain 3-person engine companies, the fire department must recommend an alternate station staffing model,” the report stated. “This recommendation is clearly driven by and understood by the fire department as fiscally driven.”

Under the proposed model, some communities would have 2-person medic patrol units staffed by a fire captain or engineer and a paramedic.

The units would carry only 250 gallons of water and provide “light first-in fire suppression,” leaving significant fires to fully equipped crews and focusing on medical rescues instead.

The concept requires that the less expensive medic patrol units operate within 10 minutes travel time of stations with type 1 fire trucks staffed by three or more personnel, according to the report. The downsizing effect could net $2.4 million, figures showed.

Other cost reduction measures would include slashing vacant positions, consolidating squads and idling engines, all of which might save about $3 million.

Hawkins and his staff lastly recommended a revamped cost recovery strategy that would enable the agency to effectively bill individuals who receive paramedic and firefighter services during traffic accidents and similar
emergencies. Officials said that private insurance companies will generally cover such expenses, and a rate of $390 per hour for crew time is reasonable.

According to the report, the fire department last year responded to 33,288 medical calls. Even if only one-third of those resulted in service payments, more than $4.5 million would flow into county coffers.

However, Hawkins and his staff noted that the most effective way to proceed would be to retain a third-party billing service, which would automatically capture 20 percent of revenue from billings. Under that scenario, the county could still expect $3.6 million in receipts, officials said.