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County to explore fire service improvement possibilities

Efforts by the County of San Diego to improve fire protection and emergency medical services in the unincorporated portion of the county have led to the exploration of three suggestions along with a directive to assess the risk of vegetation.

A 4-0 Board of Supervisors vote March 25, with Ron Roberts absent, directed the county’s Chief Administrative Officer to pinpoint the costs and provide recommendations to implement four measures: working with the San Diego Forest Area Safety Task Force to create a risk assessment of vegetative fuels, exploring ways to bring insurance and worker’s compensation costs and policies for volunteer firefighting agencies under one “umbrella”, supporting grant writing efforts on behalf of volunteer agencies, and exploring the creation of a County Fire Warden position to serve as a liaison between local fire marshals and land use officials. The Chief Administrative Officer was directed to return to the supervisors within 90 days.

The recommendations stem from a January meeting Supervisor Bill Horn had with North County’s fire chiefs. “We openly discussed a lot of suggestions and a lot of ways for improving the fire service,” Horn said.

Although the County of San Diego has no jurisdiction over Federal or state land, the San Diego Forest Area Safety Task Force includes Federal, state, and county officials as well as fire and land experts. The presence of fire fuel was a significant factor in the October 2007 wildfires.

“We saw that fuel management was critical,” Horn said. “That’s what saved Palomar Mountain and all the structures that were there.”

If the cost is reasonable the county is willing to help fund the assessment of brush in the unincorporated area, which would allow the task force to know which areas are at the greatest risk for wildfires. That risk assessment would not only help to prioritize brush clearance but would also allow for the positioning of firefighting apparatus during fire season.

If the county were to pay the insurance and worker’s compensation costs for volunteer firefighting agencies, not only could the agencies use the savings for licensing, training, or new equipment but they could also operate a wider variety of equipment since the pooling of insurance coverage would allow for higher staffing levels. Reducing the insurance costs for volunteers would also entice additional recruits for the volunteer agencies.

“I think the least we can do is cover their worker’s comp,” Horn said. “It’s a big drain on their budgets.”

If the county were to handle grant writing responsibilities for the volunteer agencies, applications would not be foregone due to the volunteer firefighters’ lack of time or staff resources. Additionally, Federal or state grants may be more available through a legal government agency such as the county.

The job responsibilities of the proposed County Fire Warden would include focusing on land issues in the county’s unincorporated area, which would help resolve issues addressing land use and construction requirements. The warden and his staff would assist property owners in meeting the necessary fire-related conditions to obtain building permits, which not only would ensure the proper safety precautions but could also streamline the process for property owners.

 

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