Few Public Agencies Top the O.C. Fire Authority

If you ask most people what they expect from local government, the first thing they mention is public safety. They want efficient emergency service.

When tragedy strikes, they expect a fire engine to show up quickly and the well-trained personnel it carries to do whatever necessary to save property or lives.

In this regard, residents of 21 Orange County cities and the unincorporated areas are fortunate. One of the top fire agencies in the nation--the Orange County Fire Authority--stands ready to answer their calls for help at any hour of the day or night.

Formed in 1995 in the wake of the Orange County bankruptcy, the Orange County Fire Authority has emerged as one of the best-run public agencies around. In just six years, it has fixed the out-of-balance budget it inherited from the county; established and funded a comprehensive vehicle replacement program; created a six-year capital improvement plan; opened three new fire stations; hired an additional 49 firefighters; substantially reduced average response times; and achieved an enviable public approval rating of 97%.

Given this well-documented record of success, one wonders why Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove) would introduce a bill (AB 1104) that singles out the Fire Authority, calling into question the judgment of 23 locally elected officials and the 1.3 million people who hold them accountable for services.

The Fire Authority is governed by a board comprising two county supervisors and one city council member from each member city. These locally elected board members meet regularly in open session to set policy, approve budgets, establish service levels and oversee operations.

Most of the cities that joined the Fire Authority did so only on the condition that they would have direct representation on the board. Because law enforcement and fire protection constitute as much as 60% of their municipal budgets, these cities wisely wanted to control costs and ensure that their constituents had a strong voice in how emergency services were delivered and how tax dollars were spent.

Forming a joint powers authority for fire protection enabled Fire Authority members to pool their resources for mutual benefit. Their foresight has produced a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Together, the authority’s member agencies can buy more specialized equipment and hire better-trained personnel than any one of them could afford to buy or employ on its own.

Together, as the Orange County Fire Authority, these cities and the county stand ready to respond not only with engines and trucks but also with airplanes, helicopters and boats to situations ranging from high-rise and wildfires to structural collapse and flash floods. They can deploy 379 vehicles, 745 career firefighters and more than 400 reserve volunteer firefighters from 62 fire stations to serve 1.3 million residents across a region that totals 562 square miles.

The authority provides the same reliable response throughout this diverse region and still finds ways to customize the services it delivers to fit local needs and reach out to the disparate communities it serves. For example, authority personnel are an integral part of the Tall Ships Festival in Dana Point, the annual Walk Against Drugs in Mission Viejo, the Heritage Days celebration in Placentia, the Holiday Parade with Santa Claus in San Clemente, Tiller Days in Tustin, and the Westminster Spring Festival.

All of the authority’s 21 member cities are so satisfied with the service they receive for the price they pay that each one of them has signed a 10-year agreement, thus ensuring the long-term stability of this vital organization.

In addition, the board recently negotiated a five-year labor contract with its firefighters that guarantees that they will be paid an amount equal to the average of the top three fire service agencies in Orange County.

The authority organization is stable. Its governance is sound, and its budget is balanced. Its service is efficient, its employees are well-compensated, and its customers are satisfied. It meets the diverse needs of its member agencies and earns high marks from the public it so proudly serves.

If Maddox has some ideas about how to make a good Fire Authority even better, he need not go to the trouble of enacting legislation. Instead, he can simply call any member of the board of directors, including me.