BUENA PARK : Group Fights to Keep City Fire Department

A group of residents are organizing to fight the city’s planned dissolution of its Fire Department in order to contract with the county for fire and paramedic services.

The 10 residents met this week at the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park to organize their effort. Terry Longacre, who attended, said they hope to seek a referendum or legal action. Meetings will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the church on Western Avenue.

“We want to reverse that decision,” Longacre said. “We are opposed to losing our city Fire Department and losing the local control that goes with it.”

Opponents say the move will decrease service and cost the city more money in the long run. But supporters say the city will save money and maintain the current level of service.

The Orange County Fire Department will take over fire protection services beginning Oct. 1. Buena Park becomes the 17th Orange County city to contract with the county for those services. The city agreed this week to a county contract that will save Buena Park about $1.2 million over the next four years. Under the agreement, one of the city’s four engine companies will be eliminated, but the county will add a fourth firefighter to a truck company. The first year, the city will pay the county about $400,000 a month for fire services.

First Southern Baptist pastor Wiley S. Drake Sr., who has also been a vocal opponent of the move, said he believes most residents are too.

“However, the City Council seems to think that the majority of the people are in favor of it,” Drake said.

“What upset us most is (that the council) didn’t listen to us and criticized us as being a small band of rabble-rousers that were speaking for a minority of the community rather than a majority.”

Resident Max Schulman said the city improperly hired a consultant to analyze the county fire proposal at a cost of $10,000 without notifying the public.

City Manager Kevin O’Rourke said he hired the consultant at the council’s direction. Under a city ordinance, O’Rourke said, he has the authority to spend money to hire consultants without council action in a public forum.

“I don’t think the city has done anything inappropriate,” O’Rourke said.