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New fire tax spurs old controversy. District has history of paying overtime versus hiring more firefighters

Members of the North County Fire Protection District (NCFPD) board have agreed to endorse a proposed fire tax that voters will see on the November 4 ballot.

If approved, the proposed tax would be levied for a term of 30 years. It is designed to address the shortcomings discovered during last fall’s firestorm by adding more firefighting aircraft and fire engines to every district in the county, supporters say.

Chief Bill Metcalf says North County Fire would see almost half a million dollars of the proposed tax money directly every year because of its special district status and the district board could use that money to hire more firefighters, “enhance the fire apparatuses” the district has available or build additional fire stations in the district to provide greater protection.

However, former NCFPD board member Denny Lindeman feels that voters should not consent to the tax proposition until they are given some assurance from board members that the district will act responsibly with finances.

Lindeman feels that before the fire district should have access to any more funds, the matter of constant staffing policy in the district, which demands that all fire stations in the district must have a constant manning level at all times, regardless of fire conditions or medical call history in the area, must be addressed.

Constant staffing allows firefighters to be paid overtime when they cover fellow firefighters who go on sick leave or annual leave at time and a half and at the same time takes the staffing decision out of the hands of the fire chief.

The problem of constant staffing is a familiar one with discussions occurring about the subject the past few years. Lindeman says the money being used to pay overtime to firefighters should be used to hire more new staff and allow for more reserves in case of a catastrophe.

Lindeman went on to say that the fire chief is responsible to take care of his district in accordance of a fire threat and it is easier to do so with more personnel than paying a small staff overtime, because more resources would be at the chief’s disposal for emergencies.

Metcalf said that an external consultant looked at the cost of hiring additional firefighters versus paying overtime to fill the positions and found that the cost wound up being “roughly the same” and that one of the choices that the board could make is to decide to hire more firefighters with the new tax money.

But besides the question of whether to pay overtime regularly or hire additional staff, Lindeman believes that reserves should be set aside by the district to repair, maintain and replace facilities and equipment as well as pay firefighters for overtime when necessary.

Once these reserves are made, additions can be made to equipment and firefighters’ pensions throughout the county.

Metcalf says that if county residents want to see an “enhancement to the fire protection services” available, it will take more resources.

While the proposed tax could address some of these issues, Metcalf says it should not be seen as a solution to fix all of the problems being faced by the county’s fire districts.

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