Cal Fire works to avoid budget cuts in Riverside County
UPDATE: 6:21 p.m.
CAL FIRE Riverside County Chief John Hawkins stood before fellow firefighters and Riverside County Supervisors Tuesday, where he unveiled ideas he said that could help fund budget shortfalls, while maintaining top public safety.
Those recommendations include making cuts to staffing and equipment, shutting down stations and contracting with a private company for billing of EMS cost recovery fees.
“We were asked to model three different situations,” Hawkins said. “One is how would we fill the budget gap of $11.9 million for the county operation. Secondly, what kind of alternate staffing model can we look at. And thirdly is can we look at an EMS cost recovery fee.”
While both Hawkins and other firefighters said they’re for the idea of a cost recovery fee, firefighters spoke about their concerns of the idea of more than 40 jobs cut across Riverside County.
“Based on modern fire materials, synthetic materials that are in homes now, fires are growing 16 times faster in the first three minutes.” CAL FIRE Local 2881 Representative Michael Alvarado said. “So putting two people, on a Medic Patrol, with limited firefighting capabilities, and very limited amounts of water, only puts the public in peril. And unfortunately, puts the guys behind me and the gals behind me, in a precarious situation. To where they have to make a decision.”
But both Hawkins and Alvarado said they hope to come to a decision soon to help everyone in the long run.
“My first obligation as the Fire Chief is to look out for the professional, fire life safety for our citizens and our firefighters,” Hawkins said. “But also, as a county department head, I have to be sure that our budget is balanced appropriately.”
Hawkins and Alvarado said nearby stations that would be affected would be Station 41 in Mecca, and Station 63 located in Poppet Flats near Banning.
Both said CAL FIRE Riverside County can help absorb about half of the jobs that would be cut.
CAL FIRE officials could revise these recommendations before presenting them again before supervisors at a later date.
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ORIGINAL STORY: 4:53 p.m.
Cal Fire budget cuts could be coming to Riverside County in an effort to help balance the county’s deficit.
Officials said they have 500 fewer positions when compared to 10 years ago. Chief John Hawkins approached Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday with recommendations to help the county, including cutting jobs, equipment, and closing stations to help with the rising cost of labor.
But some firefighters said they’re not on board with the chief’s recommendations that were presented to the county.
Zak Dahlheimer was at the meeting and he spoke to firefighters and county officials to get their feedback on the developing issue. He’ll have a full report on KESQ News Channel 3 at 5 p.m. and on CBS Local 2 at 6:30 p.m.
The Board of Supervisors expressed general opposition to the proposal to shutter a fire station to cut costs, but was undecided on other money-saving measures, including de-activization of a hazardous materials unit and reduction of crew strengths.
List of actions listed by Chief Hawkins could net Riverside County more than $10M
“Public safety is still the number one priority of this board,” Supervisor Marion Ashley said. “We have to look at this really hard. We’ve got to find a way to meet our budget and maximize our public protection.”
Hawkins and his staff submitted a report to the board containing a list of actions that could net the county more than $10 million in savings. The board 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 is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.
The county contracts with Cal Fire for 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 going into 2017-18.
Hawkins’ report recommended that the board consider shuttering the Poppet Flats firehouse, No. 63, in the Banning Pass, as well as de-activate one of two hazmat teams, 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 — and a board mandate — for larger crews to handle emergencies.
Around a half-dozen people from the Poppet Flats and Twin Pines communities spoke out against the proposed firehouse closure, telling the supervisors that the idea would put lives and property at risk.
“The firefighters there have been able to strike quickly,” Ernest Wright, who has resided in the area for 30 years, told the board. “We had a house fire caused by kids playing with matches. It did not spread thanks to the quick work of the station 63 crew.”
According to Hawkins, call volume handled by the station is “low,” so it’s considered less essential compared to other sites. The chief’s proposed cost-cutting model recommended the deployment of 2-person medic patrol units staffed by a fire captain or engineer and a paramedic to take the place of fully outfitted — and more expensive — three-person engines, which the board mandated in 2012.
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 calls instead, the report stated.The concept requires that the more economical 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 consolidating squads and idling engines and slashing 42 existing and vacant positions, which might save about $3 million, according to the report.
“I’m open to reasonable suggestions that best serve the public,” Hawkins said.
Supervisors Ashley, Kevin Jeffries and Chuck Washington were unreceptive to the station closure idea, essentially foreclosing on the proposal before it could be debated during budget hearings two months hence.
“I believe the board needs to be prioritizing services,” Jeffries said. “We need to do budget triage, and we shouldn’t be asking the chief to walk in front of a firing squad before everybody else. Let’s look at what we
have to resolve in our budget.”
County Chief Financial Officer Paul McDonnell replied that the Executive Office would spend the next several weeks getting “our arms around what we need to do with fire.”
“We need to dig deeper,” he said, warning that cost-cutting on some level was inevitable given the potential for a $160 million hole in general fund revenue in 2017-18, resulting mostly from larger state mandates.
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 typically cover such expenses, and a rate of $390 per hour for crew time was 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 could have flowed into county coffers.
