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News & Features
From the Idyllwild Town Crier weekly newspaper, 03.18.10 edition.
IFPD
volunteers major topic
By J.P. Crumrine, Editor
In
contrast with the brief and cursory meetings, the new Idyllwild Fire
Protection District (IFPD) Commission held a marathon session at its
regular meeting, Tuesday, March 9. It began promptly at 5:30 p.m. and
continued, with one short break, until nearly 10 p.m.
During this period, the commission covered 18 separate items on the
agenda as well as the regular reports and financials. But it was
interim Fire Chief Mike Mulhall’s candor and report which surprised the
board and public.
Mulhall’s comments were a blow to the department and particularly the
paid-call firefighters (PCF). First, Mulhall announced that he had to
take Engine 622 out of service because of the lack of equipment for
crews to be in the field safely. PCFs primarily man and operate this
engine during fire incidents.
“It’s disturbing for me that Engine 622 is out of service ... it
doesn’t have the equipment to operate safely,” Mulhall told the board.
“It’s unacceptable to me and an obvious safety issue.”
The breathing apparatus assigned to the engine did not operate properly
because of missing parts and missing equipment, he added. Mulhall has
been soliciting excess equipment from neighboring departments and will
report to the board in April on his success and the next step.
Previously unaware of the malfunctioning equipment, Mulhall did note
that the Department has been constantly shifting equipment between
engines and this contributes to the problems.
Later, Mulhall discussed his concerns about the lack of training for
PCFs and the possible liability repercussions on the district if a
mistake or tragedy were to occur. Consequently, he announced that he
will limit their use and rank if IFPD is involved in future incidents.
Meanwhile, he and the board will consider how the appropriate training
can be offered to PCFs since they also have full-time jobs.
As he began, Mulhall said, “This causes me pain and it’s an
uncomfortable decision; but it’s a priority not only for the safety of
the employee but potential liabilities for the community and the
department.
“Their experience, Keith Smith, Larry Donahoo and Steve Friemoth, is
invaluable to me as chief and fire captain,” Mulhall added. “But that’s
not the issue. In today’s society, when lawsuits happen and they need
certification of training, we don’t have certification for company
officers.”
Mulhall also expressed concern about a multi-agency incident relying on
IFPD officers who have not had the certified training.
“It’s a liability we should not incur,” he stated to the board. “My
concern is on the scene, the red helmet [signifying fire captain]
brings a command position with responsibility and liability.”
By the meeting’s conclusion, the commission agreed with Mulhall’s
caution. While the PCF officers would retain their rank, they would not
act in that capacity during an incident was the commission’s view.
In other business, commission Treasurer Ben Killingsworth discussed
IFPD’s current budget. While he recommended several budget adjustments,
the two largest items were funding for a dispatch contract for the last
half of this fiscal year (ending June 30) and the cost for new radios.
Combined the two items may cost the department about $40,000 to
$50,000. These decisions will be made late in the spring before the
fiscal year ends.
The commission also confirmed its plans to consummate the purchase of
the Zoll Medical equipment and Mulhall indicated that the company was
already coordinating with IFPD to conduct training on how to use the
new equipment.
Brad Neufeld of Graham and Savage, a Riverside law firm, made a
presentation to the commission on the capability and benefits of using
him and his firm as the IFPD legal counsel moving forward. He currently
represents Pine Cove Water District.
J.P. Crumrine can be reached at jp@towncrier.com.
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