Riverside County Fire Department Budget Impact Hearings FY 12-13

1. Riverside County Fire DepartmentBudget Impact HearingsFY 12-13 John R. Hawkins Fire Chief

2. Board of SupervisorPrevious Budget Direction • Keep critical fire stations open • Provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic service • Keep safe engine company staffing with 3 FF’s • Maintain sufficient support infrastructure to sustain department operations • Be part of budget solution not part of problem

3. Fire Department Budget Commitment • We will try to close budget gap while still maintaining critical public safety services • We may not be able to close gap but we will seriously try

4. Budget Reduction OptionsSignificant Points • Presenting budget impact & reduction options • FY 12-13 budget gap $10.2 million • Presenting budget reduction options of $3.7 million • We consider any reductions temporary until economy recovers

5. CAL FIRERiverside CountyFire Fighting Resources • Personnel • 1,145 CAL FIRE career firefighters & support • 223 County or City support personnel • 280 Volunteer Reserve Firefighters • Fire Stations & Equipment • 94 Fire stations • 103 Staffed fire engines • 7 Staffed aerial ladders • 1 Staffed breathing support unit • 2 Staffed hazardous material teams • 17 Fire crews assigned to 3 camps • 1 Fire fighting copter • 2 Air tankers • 1 Air tactics plane (directs air tankers)

6. Past 5 year reductions • Reduced aggregate County & cities budgets from $245 million to $215 million • For same budgets, reduced 240 positions

7. Fiscal Year Comparison

8. BUDGET REDUCTION OVERVIEW • In the past, have done everything practically possible to reduce costs while still maintaining basic response services • Reductions are viewed as temporary consequently termed ‘Zero Funded’ • Reductions total $3.7 million

9. Zero Fund: HEALTH & SAFETY BUREAU BATTALION CHIEF Explanation: • Zero fund H&S Battalion Chief staff position • Duties: Manages Health & Safety Bureau • Reassign 4 staff members to Training Bureau Battalion Chief Impact: • Reduce health & safety capacity & oversight • Unable to provide same level of health & safety support or accident investigation • Further increased workload for Training Chief reducing training priority • Loss of one Battalion Chief (surge capacity)

10. Zero Fund: PIO Fire Captain Explanation: • Zero fund PIO Fire Captain staff position • Duties: Oversees Public Affair Bureau • Reassign 2 staff members to Senior Public Information Specialist Impact: • Must reduce public contacts & education • Loss of one fire trained PIO (surge capacity) • Loss public affairs capability

11. Zero Fund: Strategic Planning Fire Captains Explanation: • Zero fund 2 Strategic Planning Fire Captains • Duties: Works with developers seeking strategic planning input & plans fire station design & construction • Reassign 2 remaining Strategic Planning personnel to Support Services Division Chief Impact: • Loss of 2 Fire Captains (surge capacity) • Loss of immediate contact with developers with impact to long range planning needs • Loss of fire experts who provide design expertise for fire station planning • Spreads strategic planning work across multiple staff reducing consistency and cohesiveness

12. Zero Fund: County OES Positions Explanation: • Zero fund 2 County OES support positions • Duties: Oversee EOC operation & support activities • Reassign duties to other County OES personnel Impact: • Loss of EOC staffing (surge capacity) • Reduce capability to respond to emergencies

13. Zero Fund: Engine 42 & Replace with Medic Squad at FS 40 Explanation: • Zero fund Engine 42 (Oasis) • Replace with two person medic squad at FS 40 (Mecca) Impact: • Loss of community fire engine (surge capacity) • Response time from Mecca to Oasis marginally increased • FS 42 (Oasis) uninhabitable; condemned by EDA & County Building Official • Currently temporary facility • FS 42 (Oasis) located very near Imperial County Line-not best location

14. FS 42 (Oasis)Station condemned & temp building

15. Zero Fund: Engine 18 & Convert to Medic Squad Explanation: • Zero fund Engine 18 (West Riverside) • Replace Engine 18 with two person medic squad • 7 months per year CAL FIRE may staff engine Impact: • Loss of one medic engine company (surge capacity) • Paramedic service will continue from FS 18 • Next nearest engine response from FS 16 (Pedley) or FS 38 (Rubidoux) • Engine availability subject to state engine staffing

16. Zero Fund: 18 Fire Station Relief Positions & Use Overtime FOR STAFFING Explanation: • Zero fund 18 fire station relief positions throughout the County • Use overtime to cover relief posts at 40% savings per position Impact: • Reduction of total fire personnel (surge capacity) • Increases overtime costs but still 40% less than fully funded positions • Staffing dependent on personnel accepting overtime • Requires personnel to be forced to cover vacant assignment posts

17. Conclusion • Fire Department must retain strength of fire system while still attempting significant budget reductions • Fire will try our best to close remaining budget gap to avoid closing fire stations • Fire Department will follow Board’s direction • Thank you very much

18. - Thank You - Fire Chief John R. Hawkins Office: (951) 940-6900 Email: john.hawkins@fire.ca.gov