Council Votes to Dissolve Calif. Fire Department

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Sept. 08--Norco council members began the process to dissolve its Fire Department and set up a transitional plan to contract with the county for fire and medical emergency services.

The council voted 4-1 Wednesday, with Councilman Harvey Sullivan dissenting because of concerns that the city did not negotiate properly with the Norco Fire Department to lower costs.

County services are expected to save Norco roughly $1.4 million, according to a staff report. The exact amount of savings by contracting is unknown because Norco would continue paying for accrued vacation time, sick leave, existing workers compensation claims and retired employees' health-care benefits for an unknown period.

Cal Fire officials say they can save the city money through longer shifts and more available firefighters. The city believes it would save on overtime and liability costs, such as workers compensation and disability claims.

Excluding start-up costs, the county estimates it would charge $3.1 million a year for fire protection and medical emergency services. The Norco city fire budget this year is about $2.9 million but does not include liabilities, which would boost costs to $4.5 million.

The issue drew a relatively small crowd. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Chief John Hawkins presented a plan to provide fire service, emphasizing that service would not decrease.

"Nothing would change," Hawkins said. "We understand that this is difficult."

Some residents are concerned that cost savings are not as high as the city figures, firefighters familiar with residents' medical conditions and property are irreplaceable and some firefighters would be rotated out of Norco.

Council members Kevin Bash and Kathy Azevedo supported the transition, saying the city cannot afford overruns to the fire budget.

Although Cal Fire agrees to a predetermined annual cost, they said the city is ultimately responsible if costs overrun that figure.

The process would provide all Norco firefighters positions with Cal Fire in Norco or elsewhere in the county. Three part-time jobs could be eliminated.

A full-time fire prevention specialist would continue working for the city, providing weed abatement inspections, abandoned vehicle reports, business inspections and clerical support.

Tough economic times have prompted city officials to make major cuts to public safety budgets and other city services over the last several years, slashing $1 million in June from the Norco fire budget and imposing a 22 percent salary cut.