Metcalf named to new committee

A new Regional Fire Protection Committee has been created which will include North County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Bill Metcalf.

Metcalf will be one of three fire chiefs on the nine-member committee to be co-chaired by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and County Supervisor Ron Roberts. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of the committee by a 5-0 vote January 29.

“Looking forward to working with the Supervisor and the Mayor and other members of the committee on ways we can enhance our fire protection services,” Metcalf said.

The county already has a Task Force on Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services, but the purpose of that task force is to ensure that the fire protection and emergency medical needs of the unincorporated county are met and sufficiently funded. The Regional Fire Protection Committee also includes incorporated cities.

“Now we can do something on a regional basis. We have a unique opportunity,” Roberts said.

The county supervisors also designated the regional committee as an advisory body to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

The committee will assess the regional needs for fire apparatus (including helicopters and other aircraft), regional communications, and surveillance technology and will also evaluate possible funding sources, examine the initial and ongoing costs of various alternatives (such as leasing versus buying equipment), review government codes and other policies and ordinances as they relate to fire protection, and consider short-term and long-term options related to a regional fire authority.

The Regional Fire Protection Committee was also directed to conduct its first meeting within 30 days of its establishment and to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors prior to the most fire-prone period of the year.

The meetings will be open to the public, and the supervisors also authorized County Counsel to advise the committee on any legal matters which might arise. The county will also provide administrative staff for the committee.

Since the October 2003 firestorms the County of San Diego has spent more than $130 million on firefighting equipment, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection contracts, brush clearing, notification, and other preparedness and response measures.

“Our region has made great strides in its preparedness and its response, but we still need to do more,” Roberts said. “We must do everything possible to minimize the loss of life, property damage, and the widespread disruption.”

Metcalf will be joined by fire chiefs Tracy Jarman of the City of San Diego and Kevin Crawford of the City of Carlsbad.

Roberts and Sanders will be joined by County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who is also the chair of the Task Force on Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services, and by mayors Mickey Cafagna of Poway, Lori Holt Pfeiler of Escondido, and Cheryl Cox of Chula Vista.

(Under the Brown Act a majority of a governing board cannot serve on a committee or a joint powers authority, but those laws against board majorities do not apply to spouses so the presence of two county supervisors and the wife of a third on the Regional Fire Protection Committee does not violate the Brown Act. Although Supervisor Greg Cox did not abstain from the unanimous vote, he did not comment prior to the voting other than to call for the vote in his role as Board of Supervisors chairman.)

San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association president and La Mesa fire chief David Burke expressed support for the committee but requested representation selected by the fire chiefs.

San Diego County Fire Districts Association president and San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District fire chief Augie Ghio felt that the committee could interact with other groups but also sought to add representatives selected by the fire service.

“I notice there’s no wildland rep here,” said Supervisor Bill Horn, who recommended the addition of Steve Heil of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to the committee but also deferred to Roberts on the committee structure.

Roberts noted that the open meetings will allow for such input. “All the organizations will be able to get their input in,” he said. “There is nothing that will preclude Steve Heil or anybody else from having input.”

Roberts feared that fulfilling requests for additional members would eventually lead to a more cumbersome structure. “We have fire chiefs who have been very involved,” he said.

Jacob noted the participation of Metcalf in past initiatives. “He’s been very involved in many of the efforts,” Jacob said.