Fire Department Sends Layoff Notices

The Ventura County Fire Department mailed layoff notices Friday to 27 firefighters and 29 civilians, notifying them their jobs will be gone as of July 4, said Fire Chief George Lund.

“They’re going out today,” Lund said. “I just finished signing them all.”

Meanwhile, defying orders, Ventura County firefighters had signs posted outside county fire stations that will be closed or consolidated under budget cuts approved Thursday by the Board of Supervisors.

The 1-by-2-foot red-and-white signs warned that stations in Camarillo, Saticoy, the Ojai Valley and the north end of Ventura Avenue will be affected by the cuts.

The signs are the same ones that caused controversy last year, announcing, “This Fire Station May Be Closed. Contact Your County Supervisor.”

This year, firefighters crossed out the word may and painted the word will on the signs, which were posted by Margaret House, wife of Ken Maffei, who is president of the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Assn.

“It’s going to let the public know what’s going on, and I expect their opposition to what the board approved (Thursday),” Maffei said.

Chief Lund criticized the signs, saying they misrepresent what actually will happen. He said Station 24 on Ventura Avenue and Station 26 in Saticoy are the only ones that will close July 4.

It will take three to six months to consolidate operations at the stations in Meiners Oaks and Oak View, close them and move equipment and personnel to Station 24, which will be reopened, Lund said.

During the same time, operations at two stations in Camarillo will be consolidated and moved into a temporary shelter, to be set up near the intersection of Las Posas Road and the Ventura Freeway, Lund said.

One firefighter being laid off said he has already begun grappling with unemployment, but is having trouble learning what his benefits are.

Jay Colvin, a 28-year-old Camarillo firefighter who has been with the department since he was a cadet in high school, said that when supervisors approved the layoffs, “I felt like I was going to throw up. It was something.”