REGIONAL REPORT : Cuts Increase Fire Danger, Officials Say

Even as more than 4,000 weary firefighters from throughout the state battle wildfires in drought-parched Northern California, looming state budget cuts are forcing Southern California fire departments to reduce crews and put off buying needed equipment.

The cuts are coming as Southern California heads into the most crucial months of one of the worst potential fire seasons in the past two decades, fire officials said.

Although the end of August signals cooler weather and an end to fire danger in Northern California, it usually heralds the beginning of hot, dry Santa Ana winds in the south that can quickly fan a small brush fire into a raging blaze.

The impending reductions in staff and equipment could also restrict the counties’ ability to help other communities during a major fire, forcing the districts to keep their engines at home where they are already spread thin. Those mutual-aid responses are a key element in successful fire suppression during major events.

For instance, last week, while 4,000 firefighters were getting the upper hand on the blaze in Calaveras County, another 500 were sent from Southern California and elsewhere to battle a 12,000-acre brush and timber fire that swept through part of Shasta County. Then authorities requested another 850 firefighters from around the state.

Before they could arrive in Shasta County, authorities reported another 1,000-acre brush fire in Inyo County about five miles west of Mammoth Lakes. An additional 500 firefighters statewide were called to that blaze.

The funding cuts are part of a plan by legislators to close the state’s $10.7-billion budget gap. Among other things, legislators are deciding how much property tax revenue to take from the state’s so-called special districts, which support fire departments, libraries and other public services.

Under one scenario, the districts would be cut so severely that an estimated 1,500 engine companies statewide would be taken out of service, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.

“During the L. A. riots, we had 485 engine companies come from all over the state,” he said. “If 1,500 engines are taken out, the communities wouldn’t be able to send those engines and still maintain service at home.”

Depending on the amount of tax money legislators decide to take from the special districts and county general funds, fire department officials in Southern California say the effects on their operations will range from deferred maintenance and equipment purchases to layoffs and station closures.

“It will take us longer to get to fires; it’s more likely the fires will spread and create more property damage and result in more people losing their lives,” Freeman said.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department, which Freeman said is lean with 2,300 firefighters for 2.8 million people, is expecting cuts from $30 million to $68 million out of a $260-million budget. For planning purposes, the department is assuming that its budget will be cut $44 million.

“We have a sufficient number of engine companies to provide effective service today,” Freeman said. “But if we use the $44 million figure, we lose 32% of our 141 engine companies (and 300 to 400 employees). I would not have any engines to send to anyone else in a crisis, nor would they have any to send to us.”

In addition, some Los Angeles County firetrucks have almost 200,000 miles on their engines, are becoming too costly to maintain and need to be replaced.

Freeman said the department is hoping that the Board of Supervisors will approve an increase from $13.99 to $50.22 in the annual assessment fee that residents in the county’s fire district pay. Supervisors are scheduled to vote on the issue Sept. 17.

The forester and fire warden division of the county department, which includes about 375 firefighters primarily responsible for wild-land fires, lost 70 positions in 1990 that were not restored.

“If we experience any further reduction of resources, the response time will be increased to the point where we would have to be strictly in a defense mode and will not be able to control the perimeter of the fire,” said David Hanson, staff chief deputy.

A large portion of the forester division’s $70-million budget comes from the state, which pays the county to operate five felony prisoner work camps. Hanson said the state has given notice that funding will be reduced for those programs. But the county is refusing to take a cut in funding for housing state prisoners, Hanson said.

“We cannot subsidize the state’s Corrections Department,” Hanson said. “We will just tell the state to send out the buses and pick up the prisoners.”

The forester division budget also is supplemented by the county general fund, which is expecting a reduction in state funding of more than $170 million.

In Ventura County, where 365 firefighters protect 400,000 people spread over 465 square miles, the county Fire Department is expecting at least an 8% reduction in a $45-million budget if state funding is withheld as anticipated.

The district has taken one truck company out of service, plans to reduce its daily on-duty staff by eight and will close one of its 32 stations if the cuts are implemented, Chief George Lund said.

“Our department has never had surpluses,” he said. “We’ve done a good job. But as soon as we start making more reductions, sooner or later there will be an incident where . . . we will see larger fires and more potential for injury and loss of life.”

In those cases, Ventura County will have to rely on outside help. “Mutual aid will become more important, even as it is less available,” Lund said.

The department could suffer even more if there are wild-land fires in portions of the county known as state responsibility areas. Until this year, the state has contracted with the Ventura County Fire Department to protect those areas for about $3 million a year. But the state has notified the county that no money is available this year.

“It’s doubly frustrating,” Lund said. “This season has the potential to be as big a fire season as any I’ve seen in the last two decades.”

In Orange County, officials said their Fire Department could absorb a 10% cut in its $104-million budget through attrition, deferred maintenance and postponing capital projects. But if the cuts are closer to the range of $41 million, which has been mentioned, the department would be “devastated,” said Jan Steiner, manager of strategic planning for the county.

“We would lose 44% of our work force, or about 360 positions, close fire stations and possibly eliminate some of our medical response service,” Steiner said.

She said the county is considering seeking some form of alternative revenues, such as creating an assessment district or increasing fees.

Riverside County pays 600 California Division of Forestry employees to protect 7,000 square miles and 650,000 people. Under the worst-case scenario, the county would lose $14 million in special district funds out of a $42-million Fire Department budget, said Fire Chief Mike Harris.

But a smaller cut is more likely. He said the department could make up some losses in special district fees if it received more money from the county’s general fund to supplement the Fire Department. Riverside County is expecting general fund cuts of $6 million to $11 million.

“The county may decide the Fire Department is more important than other, less essential departments,” Harris said.

In San Bernardino County, the county does not operate a fire department but is covered by about 40 independent fire districts, all financed in large part by special district funding. Vern Knourek, assistant administrative officer for special districts in the county, estimated that some of the county’s fire districts could lose up to 30% of their budgets.

“There would have to be layoffs, longer response times and possibly less mutual aid,” Knourek said. “We are concerned about our ability to handle large fires if we have to make these cuts.”

Because the districts do not have an assessment fee, as does Los Angeles County, Knourek said he sees no way to raise revenue to make up for the losses.

“We’re concerned in San Bernardino County,” he said. “We need to know what the state is going to do so we can make decisions.”

Like San Bernardino County, San Diego County has no countywide fire department but is covered by independent districts and city departments. The city of San Diego cut its Fire Department budget by 5% last year. But with state cuts undetermined, the city is waiting to see what their share of the hit will be.

“Certainly, you never want to cut into public safety, and I understand the fire danger this year is tremendous,” said Ernie Anderson, assistant financial management director for San Diego. “But if we get a significant reduction from the state, we won’t be able to get through it without reducing the Fire Department.”