Valley Runs the Risk of Being Burned by Secession

We are safer if we stick together.

The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City studied the possible public safety effects of San Fernando Valley secession. We discussed the issues with hundreds of front-line firefighters and paramedics, met with command staff chiefs, pored over every available document relating to secession and studied countless other documents detailing the L.A. Fire Department’s current capabilities and levels of service. Ultimately, we concluded that dividing Los Angeles could seriously weaken fire and paramedic protection.

If secession passes, the newly created city would be obliged to contract with Los Angeles for LAFD protection for one full year. After that, it would be free to contract with another provider or to establish a fire department of its own. We believe that the Valley’s “alimony” obligation starting at nearly $128 million per year, a relatively small budgetary reserve and the likelihood of continued economic uncertainty would force the Valley to cut costs and reduce services. If that turns out to be the case, a new city would be likely to cease contracting with the LAFD for the best available fire and paramedic protection. We see grave consequences in this for Valley residents.

We believe that emergency response times will increase if the Valley is no longer protected by the largest municipal fire department on the West Coast.

Consider the LAFD’s response to the May explosion at the Newcastle Apartments in Encino. As dozens of nearby fire companies responded, dispatchers simultaneously “moved up” other LAFD resources. Without delay, 21 fire companies and four ambulances back-filled depleted Valley fire stations. In the first hour alone, these temporary replacements--the “moved-up” companies--responded to 13 emergency calls in the San Fernando Valley.

A department one-third the size of the Los Angeles Fire Department could not back-fill on that scale without creating dangerous holes in coverage elsewhere. Instead, it would be forced to rely on mutual aid from other jurisdictions. Mutual aid companies must be requested and then approved by desk-bound administrators, resulting in lost time.

Without LAFD protection, Valley residents should expect a lessened ability to bolster fire stations with additional personnel in neighborhoods most at risk from brush fires. Augmenting certain stations in this way lets firefighters hit small fires with extra resources, keeping them from becoming larger. A smaller fire department would have less flexibility to beef up stations in brush areas without stripping other neighborhoods of protection.

We are also concerned about the future of ambulance service in the Valley. The LAFD offers the best emergency medical service delivery system in Los Angeles County. Our ambulances are staffed by highly trained and dedicated firefighters.

Some smaller departments in the county do not have ambulances. In those neighborhoods, firefighters respond to medical calls in trucks, while relying on the arrival of private ambulances to transport patients. A similar system in the Valley would result in delays in getting patients to hospitals.

Helicopter operations are also threatened by secession. Our fleet of six LAFD helicopters is stationed at Van Nuys Airport. In the event of a split, the Valley city would be entitled to two of the six helicopters. Undoubtedly, the remaining four would be moved south of Mulholland Drive.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has determined that two helicopters could not adequately protect the Valley due to the need for multiple helicopters on certain operations, and because of downtime for routine maintenance.

For many months now, Valley residents have been hearing that Los Angeles doesn’t work because it’s just too big. The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City believes otherwise. With regard to fire and paramedic protection, bigger is better ... and better is safer.