With a razor-thin overall General Fund budget and staffing needs unmet, the council addressed alternative funding for fire ultimately rolling the dice that the city will receive a grant this year to continue a program for five full-time firefighters. The city has already been backfilling the two-year fire SAFER grant and agreed to another $105,000 to keep firefighters on staff while they explore solutions for permanent funding. It is expected the city will learn if it was awarded another SAFER grant next month.
Proportional cuts had been ordered for all departments and Assistant Fire Chief Dustin Lazenby told the council the department had whittled away at safety supplies and a station rehab project as well as a fire engine fund to come up with the decrease.
Police Chief Steve McLean said cutbacks on overtime “are the ones that will impact us the most,” but Mike Sedell, the former Simi Valley city manager who volunteered to oversee the city budget process, said overtime would still be supplied in cases of incident need.
In addition, Sedell said the budget could be reviewed and adjusted as needed.
McLean noted he has four openings yet to be filled, a long process unless pricier lateral officers can be hired.
After more discussion Lazenby again addressed the council noting that cuts are cuts but firefighters are a different story.
With three firefighters still out due to toxic exposure from the November Santa Clara Waste Water/Green Compass explosions and fire and two others on injury leave, Lazenby said staffing, “Really has been an ongoing problem…”
The SPFD, which has an approximate $2.9 million budget and two stations, now has two acting Engineers, one temporary Engineer and five temporary Firefighters
Ongoing staffing was the main impetus behind initially applying for the federal SAFER grant, as the pool of Reserves used to fill vacant shifts and add a fourth firefighter to engine companies shrank dramatically over the years.
Lazenby said Reserves must commit to two 24-hour shifts a month; “turnouts” supplied by the city cost about $3,300 and Reserves are paid $50 per shift.
Since the program was started in 2005 the city has lost 100 Reserves that the city invests staff time and money for equipment.
“There’s a long list, a 27-page document,” required by the state that mandates training and other guidelines for Reserve Firefighter use, “Hard when someone only works two shifts a month,” but must be documented said Lazenby.
He said 70 percent of SPFD Reserves leave within their first year with about 80 percent hired by other fire agencies.
There are 170 Reserves that applied to the city; 70 were tested and only five will now be interviewed.
Lazenby showed a chart of staffing at the two stations and noted the number of “acting personnel” and that five filling open positions are Reserves that are classified as temporary employees. In addition, the SPFD has to rely on others — and can be charged — for Hazardous Material incidents and fire investigations.
Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi said it is time for the city to “start looking at a way to structurally address funding for the fire department,” on a permanent basis, such as an assessment district separate from county fire.
After more discussion Councilman Jim Tovias said, “I really have a problem with cutting police,” especially in the wake of the Ventura County Civic Alliance report that notes Santa Paula “Had the highest rate of violence in 2014,” with 7.42 violent crimes per 1,000 population.
He urged that the council “make some business decisions tonight…”
Tovias said he had an “out-of-the-box idea” to provide fire services such as Fillmore.
The SPFD would have to greatly reduce full-time staff but “If we staffed our stations like Fillmore for three years and increased the stipend for reserves,” to $125 “we could get some pretty good recruits,” and save $1 million.
That savings he noted could be shifted to police services.
Tovias said revenue from the Limoneira projects wouldn’t be forthcoming for “about three years” prompting more of a need now for police funding and “organizational changes” to the fire department.
Tovias asked what would happen if the SAFER grant was not awarded and the city changed to a largely volunteer department.
“Would that make a difference?” Sedell asked Lazenby.
“It would make a difference in what we do on a day-by-day basis,” said Lazenby, who noted the SPFD responds to 2,700 calls annually — about 90 percent medical emergencies — that often overlap.
But, he noted, “If as a council you don’t have a problem with a large loss of life and property,” the council could make such a decision.
Tovias was undeterred noting that some cities now send special squads to respond to medical calls and if the SPFD reorganized largely relying on Reserves it would “free up $1million to hire two or three more experienced police officers, a gang unit, give all employees a raise and water the flowers on Main Street.”
After more discussion Vice Mayor Martin Hernandez noted he had been a first responder and he had no desire to “diminish services we provide now…there is no doubt in my mind as Assistant Chief Lazenby said if we’re comfortable with more fire losses and loss of life,” the SPFD could largely rely on Reserves.
“This can’t be bifurcated,” as police and fire is equally important.
And, as a councilman Hernandez said, “My number one priority is public safety…”
Tovias said the police department gets 25,000 calls a year and the city is dealing with a “finite amount of money” to allocate.
“We’ve had a number of shootings in the last month…do we want another a stray bullet to kill another innocent person?” he asked.
Tovias said the council must “set the priorities, it’s going to be tough,” to “weigh all the information and then decide which way to go.”
The council agreed to add $105,000 to the budget to cover the SAFER grant gap — if the city gets the funding it won’t kick in until about September — and some other cuts, such as city maintenance, were restored for study.
The council will consider the revised budget at the next — and what could be the final — budget session June 15.
