The City of Fullerton, California, will retain control over its fire department after a heated meeting Oct. 18 ended in a 3–2 vote not to contract with the Orange County Fire Authority.
As a result, the city will instead implement Fullerton Fire Chief Adam Loeser’s plan to rebuild its fire department’s staff and resources by 2028.
The Orange County Fire Authority proposed contracting with the city earlier this year, due to gaps in the Fullerton department’s staffing, as well as aging equipment.
Councilors voting to contract with the county’s fire authority said such a move was in the best interests of the public.
“We were entrusted by the public to provide public safety and at this point we are not doing so. And this council is failing our public. It is failing our businesses,” said Councilman Ahmad Zahra.
Despite many public commenters in favor of the move, including from former Councilwoman Pam Keller and several Fullerton firefighters, Mayor Fred Jung, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Whitaker, and Councilman Nick Dunlap said they did not want to rely on the county.
“I can’t support this change to [the Orange County Fire Authority]. We need to retain local control,” Dunlap said. “We need to work with our Fullerton Fire Department to make the changes and improvements necessary in order to sustain us for the long term.”
Whitaker said it would be more costly to work with the county fire authority.
“It doesn’t pencil out,” he said. “We’re looking at a solution to an affordability problem by recommending jumping into a more unaffordable situation.”
According to Whitaker, the city will “go to war with what we have,” with what is financially possible for the city, as a recession draws closer.
The estimated cost of joining the county fire authority would have been $27.8 million annually. Keeping the department under city control will cost the taxpayers $5.47 million less each year, but will take longer to rebuild the department.
According to the city, fire department staffing is currently down about 28 percent, and it is struggling to retain new hires because it doesn’t have the resources for hiring, recruiting, training, and promoting current staff.
“Fullerton is not safe any longer,” said Peter Gray, a retired fire captain with 32 years of experience.
One of the fire stations in the city currently has no paramedics on staff, meaning they are dispatched for emergencies and have a longer response time, the city’s fire staff told the council.
“Just last Friday I received a resignation from a five-year firefighter paramedic who’s going to a neighboring agency, and this is one of, unfortunately, many that I’ve gotten throughout the last several years,” Loeser, the fire chief, told the council.
The first step in Loeser’s plan is to negotiate with the firefighters union in the next 30 to 45 days for pay increases to keep current staff and attract new members.
Some said they are worried the plan might not be immediately effective.
“It will take a lot longer than our chief’s plan shows to refill our ranks,” said Michael Longeuay, a fire captain with Fullerton for 18 years. “We’re not attracting the type of candidates that we should be.”
The next step, in Loeser’s plan, is to replace three aged fire engines with a mileage of more than 200,000, well past the industry standard.
The department currently has $750,000 to replace the three engines with two newer models and one quint—a different fire engine with the capacity to carry more water and reach mid-rise buildings.
According to Loeser, the biggest issues in equipment replacement are funding and a major lag in manufacturing time, which would mean the department might not get the new vehicles for at least two years.
Loeser will provide the council with an update on the progress of his plan every 90 days.
Councilors and Loeser did not respond to requests for comment.
