Shake-Up in County Fire Dept. Urged by 2 Officials

Citing their “deep concern” over the direction of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, two fire commissioners are calling for a fiscal audit and replacement of the current management.

Fred Kline and John T. Stevens of the seven-member Board of Fire Commissioners outlined their concerns in letters submitted to the Board of Supervisors, without first informing Fire Chief John W. Englund.

“We, as your appointed commissioners, do not feel that the current Fire Department management team reflects favorably upon the County of Los Angeles, the Board of Supervisors, or those dedicated firefighters who daily lay down their lives,” the pair stated.

They charged that:

- The financial “mismanagement” of Fire Department funds is “becoming very apparent,” with money moved back and forth among accounts to cover operating expenses. The department has an annual budget of about $225 million.

- The management is “threatening to close fire stations” while some firefighters are earning more than $100,000 a year with overtime.

- Several “mismanaged control burns” by the Fire Department have “caused concern over the competence of Fire Department managers.” They cited a fire in which Magic Mountain amusement park reportedly lost “several thousands of dollars.”

- A special car is assigned to Fire Station 58 to drive Englund’s wife “back and forth to meetings and functions.”

- While a number of fire stations are “being worked short,” there is “obvious overstaffing” of uniformed people at the headquarters building.

The charges were aired at Thursday’s meeting of the fire commissioners, which is chaired by Kline. The majority of the board approved a resolution declaring that the commission neither approved nor disapproved of the Kline-Stevens charges.

Englund, who was appointed in 1984, responded in part Friday in a statement to each of the five supervisors.

“I take exception to everything in the letters,” he said. “However, it is not my desire to take an adversary role with the commission. I understand that there may be personal attacks against me as an individual, but when it is suggested to replace the entire management staff, it reflects on the credibility of the county Fire Department management.

“I believe the members of the department’s management staff are some of the top managers in the fire service, as well as in the county system, and that if the commission does not see that or believe that to be the case, then they have made a serious error in judgment.”

Englund promised supervisors that he will respond in detail to the charges in a report directly to them, probably on Monday.