Countywide : Fire Department Reorganization OKd

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a reorganization plan for the Orange County Fire Department that officials said will save money and prepare the department for more sweeping changes next year.

The interim plan, which is expected to save the department $1 million by scaling back administrative costs, was adopted by a 4-0 vote. Board Chairman Harriett M. Wieder was absent.

The plan will eliminate 14 administrative posts and switch four others to a civilian classification, trimming salary and benefit expenses, said Fausto Reyes, the department’s management services director.

Beyond cost-saving measures, the plan is seen as a way to help the Fire Department make the transition to an entirely new governmental system, a sweeping change planned for early next year.

Control of the department in January will shift from the Board of Supervisors to a governing board, with rotating representatives from the 16 cities now served by the Fire Department. That shift, approved by the supervisors in May, will make Orange County home to the state’s largest consolidated fire protection district.

Officials said that neither the interim reorganization nor the creation of the consolidated fire district next year will result in changes to service or in taxes.