Healdsburg Fire Chief: 'We're as Low as We Can Go'

Healdsburg will investigate alternative ways to slash costs on fire protection services after told City Council he cannot afford to cut any more staff positions.

"Right now, we're at the minimum standards to be operating effectively and safely," Adams said in an impassioned presentation Monday night at "We're as low [in staffing] as we can go."

Adams said later he was asked to cut $150,000 from his $2.3 million budget for 2012-13.

Since the fire department has not much surplus equipment or other assets or expenses that could be eliminated, that means cutting roughly three jobs -- identified as possibly Fire Marshal, a post now held by ; Fire Inspector/Engineer, now held by ; and an office administrator clerical position.

Adams said that would leave the Healdsburg fire station at only two firefighters per engine, well below the three-person-per-fire-engine standard, and dangerously understaffed during the day, when his 22 reserve firefighters are often not available.

If more than one call comes in at a time, Adams said that would be a disaster under those circumstances. Healdsburg also is obligated to respond to neighboring fire agencies under mutual aid agreements.

"We're already using part-timers (reserve firefighters) to fill a full-time job," Adams said. He generally pays for at least 24 hours a week of reserve firefighting staff time, he said. Reserve firefighters, who are not on salary, receive a stipend for each call and for each night they sleep at the fire station.

Other fire staff include three captains and three engineers -- all of whom must cover a 24-hour/seven-day-a-week schedule, Adams said. Last year, the staff was reduced from seven to its current six people due to the loss of a training officer, he said.

Healdsburg Mayor Gary Plass said he did not want to reduce staffing levels so low as to jeopardize public safety. However, he and the other council members said they were worried about using any more reserves to balance the fire department budget.

"In a perfect world, we would be able to transfer any reserves from our enterprise funds to the general fund to support the fire department," said Councilman Jim Wood. "But by law we can't do that.

"But where do we go if we burn through our reserves in the next two years?" Wood added. "It's irresponsible not to look at it now -- I don't want to be at the helm when the city doesn't have enough money for its core services."

In the end, Council agreed to ask Adams for cuts but no layoffs in 2012-13 and to use some reserves to pay for staff salaries. However, Plass directed City Manager Marjie Pettus to begin exploring a wide range of alternatives to reduce fire department expenses and/or generate more revenue for the 2013-14 budget:

Those include:

--Merging the Healdsburg Fire Department into a district with two other surrounding unincorporated Sonoma County districts in Fitch Mountain and Sotoyome [Dry Creek, Mill Creek area]. Currently, Healdsburg covers those districts under contract with Sonoma County.

Adams said this might be a good alternative to avoid duplication but it could be a delicate negotiation with Sonoma County, a mutual aid agency with Healdsburg.

"Honestly, these are Healdsburg residents," Adams said of the unincorporated areas. "We have an ethical responsibility to provide for them, and we want to respond to them."

--Giving back the CUPA hazardous waste management program (stands for certified unified programming agency) to Sonoma County to handle. Collister currently manages the program for the county in Healdsburg; the county pays Healdsburg $150,000 to manage, said Adams, who added he is not in favor of this option.

"Once you give it away, you can never get it back," he said. He said city business owners likely appreciate having a city staff member manage the program rather than the county.

--Contracting with or fire services in Healdsburg. Adams said this would save overhead duplication money (probably eliminating his chief job) but in the long run might be more costly due to having to pay higher lifetime medical benefits for state fire employees.

--Installing parking meters in downtown Healdsburg to finance general fund departments like police and fire.

--Asking city staff to take pay cuts and/or to pay more for their health and other benefits.

About eight to 10 staff and reserve firefighters and other city staff members were on hand for the budget workshop Monday. They appeared somber and left the meeting quietly, talking among themselves.

Healdsburg's Fire Department budget comes from the city's current general fund budget, which has a $984,000 deficit. Like city budgets throughout the state, the Healdsburg general fund budget has been walloped with the loss of redevelopment monies, reductions in city tax revenue and increases in fees and costs.

On the other hand, Healdsburg's so-called enterprise funds -- electric, sewer and water -- are in reasonable shape and could even realize some reserves, according to reports at Monday's workshop.

Healdsburg , according to action earlier this month by City Council.

However, staffing levels in the city's public works department are also down, accoridng to Public Works Director Mike Kirn. Also, the city has a $10 million backlog of deferred maintenance due on city streets, Kirn said.

"It used to be that we had a whole bunch of reserve firefighters on the public works staff -- so we could pull them off work during the day to answer fire calls," Adams said. "Now, we don't have that many reserve firefighters on staff -- and Mike Kirn has his own jobs to get done and can't really spare them anyway."

"