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East Fork Fire & Paramedic Districts July 2011 Volume 9, Issue 3 |
From the Chief's Desk ...
Well, budgets are adopted, contracts signed, and we finally are feeling the summer heat, and our fire season may be a late one. Even with a wetter than average spring
and early summer, we will most certainly see conditions change at some point. With a diminished and limited pool of resources, both internal and external, we will have to be fairly aggressive
with our initial fire attack, but at the same time, pay due regard to our safety.
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Chief's Desk Tognoli's Tutelage Prevention Perspectives Training and Safety Opportunity |
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Even though the budget has been adopted, we really are never done. I issued a rather lengthy financial directive last month which established many of the same
financial and budgetary practices we used last year. There have been a few modifications and some additions. Being charged with the financial stability of the districts, I once again felt it was
necessary to issue these directives. Accounting Specialist Ellen Nelson is in agreement with the directives. We have also revised our tiered contingency plan. Last year we were able to develop
14 financial tiers. The revised document includes 10 this year. In other words, we are running out of options. We must hope that the local economy begins to change for the better.
The Standard of Cover Working Group has delivered their first draft of their four month work product to me for my initial review. From what I have seen thus far, I can tell you
that the group has done an exceptional job. They have evaluated several aspects of response and have made some very bold recommendations. I can also tell you that they have had some pretty
interesting discussions throughout the process. Our next step will be for me to meet with the working group and review the document and review all aspects of their work. We will also be selecting
which proposal we will subject to beta testing and for how long. We will be establishing some evaluation criteria as well. One thing that everyone needs to understand and accept is that after
our beta testing, we may find that the best approach is one which requires no change at all. We cannot make emotional decisions with our Standard of Cover. I know the working group went to great
lengths to consider the various proposals based on analytical data, established standards, and hybrid standards developed by the working group. We are going into this also with the understanding
that we will have several critics with the document and certainly with some of the proposal. We will be presenting the items for beta testing in the very new future. The goal would be to
establish beta testing on the first day of August. I really want to encourage everyone to keep an open mind as we take the next step.
We have drafted an 8 point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District. They are currently reviewing this proposal. The MOU is designed to be
between the two district chiefs and is not designed for Board actions. The 8 areas of cooperation, functional program and service sharing include:
Fire Investigation Forestry Expertise Ladder Trucks Basin Response
Fire Mechanics Hand Crews Command Officers Boundary Drop Completing this MOU would be a huge step forward in bringing the two districts closer together functionally. We are also working with other regional fire agencies on
a regional apparatus and personnel numbering system as well.
A lease/inter-local agreement has been drafted between the Town of Minden and the Districts for the use of the Fire Station 1 Annex in Minden. We hope to bring this forward for the
Board to consider sometime in August. The Town of Minden requested additional time to prepare the agreement. The District Attorney's Office is representing the fire district. |
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