Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Fire department update includes weed abatement and homeowner's insurance

Chief Stephen Abbott

North County Fire Protection District

With long-range weather forecasts predicting an early start to the fire season, which is increasingly becoming a year-round threat, a number of steps are being taken now to maximize community’s preparedness.

To begin, in the near future the annual weed abatement notices will be mailed districtwide. Please note that the date for compliance is May 15, a full month earlier than last year. Fire prevention personnel will begin compliance inspections after that deadline has passed.

Additionally, the timeframe for completion has also been shortened, so residents are asked not to delay when they receive a notice. Accordingly, if assistance is needed with mowing, the fire district suggested making arrangements now with weed abatement contractors to ensure properties will be in compliance by this deadline.

Currently, there are no free chipping days available due to the lack of grant funding which has historically supported this program.

As result of the lessons learned from the “Camp Fire” in Paradise, the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services will expand access to the Wireless Emergency Alert system for local government agencies, such as North County Fire, to directly provide immediate updates to the public.

Residents who have not already done so are asked to register their mobile devices with AlertSanDiego. Although this system is separate from the WEA network, it is another way to ensure you are getting up to date information during an emergency.

In the near future, the district will be working with local insurance professionals and legislators to identify ways to collectively assist homeowners in addressing challenges with obtaining and retaining homeowner’s insurance, which has become a problem for many residents in California.

Finally, the fire district has received several inquiries regarding what its next steps will be in light of Proposition A’s failure. The district has initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process to evaluate all aspects of current fire and emergency services delivery, which will naturally include addressing some rather significant deferred facilities maintenance challenges.

This strategic plan will include a number of strategies and may include a combination of those outlined in various outreach materials that were distributed over the last year.

For example, the district will consider alternative materials and methods of fire station construction that can be employed to address at least some facility deficiencies and what lasting impacts will remain as a result of implementing these options.

The district will explore the latest methods of enhancing revenues to recover costs by engaging the California State University San Marcos “senior experience” program to determine what other fire departments across country are doing. Some of these methods may include debt service restructuring in order to capitalize on historically low interest rates.

There are many recent and pending legislative changes at both state and federal level that need to be taken into consideration. As it will take several months to obtain findings from the university, evaluate the impacts of recent legislative changes, and develop comprehensive goals and objectives for each strategy, the district anticipates it will take approximately six months to complete the strategic plan, which will be designed to cover a five-year planning horizon.

 

Reader Comments(0)