Local leaders said they’re still trying to figure out the best
fix for San Juan Bautista’s shortage of volunteer firefighters.
San Juan Bautista – Local leaders said they’re still trying to figure out the best fix for San Juan Bautista’s shortage of volunteer firefighters.
City Councilman George Dias and Ed Laverone said they will recommend a plan calling for per-call firefighter payments. Elected officials and staff also agreed that the city and county need to find a comprehensive long-term solution, but City Manager Jan McClintock said the county has been resistant to San Juan Bautista’s suggestions.
Dias and Laverone – former firefighters themselves – recently met with fire department representatives to talk about the shortage and possible solutions.
“They had better ideas than we came up with, which is the way it should be,” Laverone said.
The fire department proposed a two-tiered payment system, he said. Firefighters who complete basic training would be eligible for a per-call stipend. And firefighters with more advanced training – including the classes needed to become a medical first-responder – could apply for a higher stipend.
The proposed payments will probably be $10 per call for basic training and $15 per call for advanced training, Dias and Laverone said.
Laverone also noted firefighters would be paid only if they ask for the money, so they can continue to serve on a purely volunteer basis if they want.
“Many said they don’t want to submit (requests for payment),” he said. “It may help us retain a few people, and it may also attract new volunteers.”
Fire Chief Scott Freels did not return phone calls Monday, but he previously said the number of volunteers had fallen from 26 to 10 in around two years. Freels attributed much of that drop-off to a growing number of residents who work out of town.
The City Council will have to figure out where to find money for the program, Laverone said.
“Are we going to have to find it from somewhere else in our current budget?” he said. “Yes.”
The payment system would probably start in January 2008, Dias said. He added that payments alone won’t solve the city’s fire problems.
“It’s no more than a Band-Aid where you should be putting a tourniquet,” Dias said. “Long term, we’re going to have to end up with a county fire department. A true county fire department.”
A shortage of firefighters in San Juan Bautista affects the county, too, McClintock said, because city firefighters are often “the first call” for any fires in the San Juan Valley.
McClintock said she’s tried to discuss greater cooperation with county officials. She said that includes floating the idea for a joint city-county fire district, in which San Juan Valley residents would pay extra fees to fund improved fire service.
“The county isn’t interested,” McClintock said.
County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson confirmed that there have been discussions about fire protection, but she said it’s a “challenging” problem without obvious solutions. A fire district is a possibility, she said.
“The problem is, there aren’t many people (in the San Juan Valley) to spread the cost to,” Thompson said. “(The issue is) certainly not being ignored, but we have not found the ideal fit. Any way you cut it, it’s going to cost more money.”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho, whose district includes San Juan Bautista, also said the county is trying to work with the city.
“What needs to happen is the professional fire staff need to be the ones instigating what needs to be done,” he said. “With people like Jan or myself, the politicians, it’s all perception.”
Botelho is a former San Juan firefighter himself, and he noted that volunteering with the city department used to be something all city residents did. He blamed increased state-imposed training requirements for driving many volunteers away.
Asked if he would volunteer again if it required less training, Botelho said, “Oh, in a heartbeat.”
