Fire Officials, Panel Start Work on Strategic Plan

In a bold move toward letting the public help shape the future of the Ventura County Fire Department, fire officials met with more than a dozen people Thursday night to begin developing a strategic plan for the department.

County Fire Chief George Lund told representatives from a variety of government, civic and community groups that their input is crucial in helping the department provide comprehensive fire protection with fewer tax dollars.

“We’re hoping to get good input from the cities and the communities we serve to help us decide what kind of services they want us to provide,” Lund told the group at Camarillo Airport.

When Lund and Assistant Fire Chief Bob Roper asked for suggestions on topics the group should consider at its biweekly meetings, the members tossed back questions on the union contract, the budget, paramedics and public relations.

“I think you’ve got a public relations problem when you see the fire engines at the grocery store,” said Bill Esty, once Camarillo’s mayor and a former volunteer firefighter. “In spite of the fact that I know you’re in service, people don’t understand.”

Doug Campbell, representing Ojai, asked: “I’m wondering, if with the number of (medical) calls going up it’s having an adverse impact on any . . . other services.”

Group members peppered the officials with questions: Can less be spent on overtime? Can the firefighters economically be trained as paramedics? What limits on savings are imposed by the firefighters union contract? If the department is treated as a business, how could it be run more economically?

One member piped up good-naturedly: “Are you biting your lip as we go through this?”

Lund chuckled: “There’s a lot we want to respond to, but we’ll wait.”

The group, which was formed by the County Board of Supervisors, will meet every two weeks at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the sheriff’s training academy in Camarillo. The panel is expected to issue a preliminary report on its findings to the supervisors in late December. A final report is due later in the spring.

Lund said he plans to blend the group’s advice with that of the firefighters union, county auditor, supervisors and his own management team into a long-range strategic plan by April or May. The strategic plan was already under way last spring when state budget cuts threatened to cut funding for the department by more than 40%.

Although last-minute action by the Legislature spared fire departments statewide from anything so severe, the crisis prompted the supervisors to order a county audit of the department.

After it was issued--and at the urging of Fire Department officials--the supervisors agreed to establish the citizens group in September to advise the county on ways to better run the department.

The panel was also meant to help Lund respond to the tough county audit.

The audit, issued last month by County Auditor Thomas Mahon, criticized the department for its use of overtime to fill staffing vacancies--a practice commonly used by departments nationwide. It also urged fire officials to find ways to save money by re-evaluating the use of firetrucks and lighter vehicles.

Lund has already responded to both points, saying that overtime is cheaper than hiring new employees and that firefighters must stay with their trucks in case fire breaks out while a district’s crew is on a medical call.

The makeup of the group has changed dramatically since its conception. Once thought of as a panel representing areas of the 875-square-mile fire district, the group was expanded by the Board of Supervisors with representatives from the county’s chief administrative office to the League of Women Voters.

Earlier this week, Lund expressed fears that the size of the group--expected to include more than 20 members--was out of hand even before it first met.

“This has gone way beyond what we had planned for. . . . Everybody was trying to do the politically correct thing and make sure everybody was represented,” Lund said with a sigh. “It’s going to be very difficult to control it and be productive and produce something in a timely manner.”