City Council ponders future of Hermosa Beach Fire Department
Hermosa Beach fire fighters respond to a blaze last year. File photo
Calling the present situation unacceptable, the Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to explore additional options to ensure the future delivery of firefighting services in the city, including the possibility of contracting with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Firefighters addressed the council periodically throughout the night, describing an overtaxed work environment.
“The city has not met its obligation to us or to the community, and now we are at a crossroads,” said Aaron Marks, head of the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association Local 3371. “The status quo is not an option. It is not sustainable.”
The vote instructs city staff to examine the contracting option, as well as the possibility of devoting enhanced city funds needed to maintain an independent department. While the Firefighters Association has not endorsed either option, Marks said that securing the added funds to maintain an independent department would be “ideal.”
Previously, the city had been exploring the possibility of a Joint Operation Agreement with the city of Manhattan Beach Fire Department. While that remains a possibility, Manhattan Beach has shown little interest in such an agreement so far, said City Manager Tom Bakaly, who participated in the negotiations along with Hermosa’s interim fire chief Pete Bonano.
In recent years the City Council has approved funds for nearly every equipment request that the fire department has made. But the remaining expenses are of a different order of magnitude.
The city is in the midst of upgrading its fire station, which is decades out of date; if the city were to contract out for fire services, it could maintain a fire station in the city, but save millions in construction costs.
“Space allocation requirements between a headquarters and a neighborhood fire station are significant,” Bonano said, estimating a savings of up to $4.5 million.
Additionally, ongoing staffing shortages in the Hermosa department that have not been corrected since the recession mean that personnel are working large amounts of overtime, regularly clocking over 70 hours per week, firefighters said. This has made staff scheduling extremely difficult, and has made securing time off from work all but impossible.
“For the most part since before Christmas, there has been no way to schedule a vacation,” Capt. Mike Garofano told the council.
The number of hours presents several problems, officials said. It diminishes station morale, and exhaustion compromises the level of service. Firefighters admitted Tuesday night that current service levels in the city were “adequate,” not the first-class service the residents demand.
The workload also makes it harder to grow and improve the department. Bonano said that under the the current arrangement captains are constantly going out on calls, diminishing their training, recruitment and administrative functions.
“We are at barebones right now,” he said. “Any additional loss is going to create a crisis.”
City officials urged rational consideration of the possibility of contracting services, noting that contracting with the county could actually improve the level of service in the city. For example, Hermosa currently has no dedicated fire marshall to monitor buildings.
But opinion from residents was stacked firmly in favor of maintaining a local department.
“If it weren’t for them, my dad wouldn’t be here, so please, give them whatever they want,” said Kathie Stomig.