Staffing Shortage among Factors Cited in CA LODD Report

Staffing shortages, communication issues and a lack of training are factors that might have contributed to the deaths of two California firefighters during a massive library fire last year, according to a report that looked at the incident.

Porterville Fire Capt. Ramon Figueroa, 35, and firefighter Patrick Jones, 25, were killed in a Feb. 18, 2020, blaze that investigators believed was intentionally set. Two teens face two counts of murder and other charges, and the case is ongoing.

At the request of Porterville Fire Chief Dave LaPere, a Serious Accident Review Team (SART) conducted an investigation following the fire, the Visalia Times-Delta reports. Last week, the team released its 136-page report, which contained the investigation's nearly 30 findings and offered more than 80 recommendations for the fire department.

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Team members spoke with firefighters, watched body camera footage and listened to audio from the call to put together the report. The team was led by former Modesto Fire Chief Mike Krause.

“This report is not only for the Porterville Fire Department but is for the fire service in the nation and the world,” LaPere told the Times-Delta. "It's also to show transparency with our actions. It gives us a road map on how to move forward and where to go."

One major issue cited by the report concerned staffing levels. The Porterville Fire Department's staffing levels are a third of the national average, and on the night of the library fire, the department was four members short of the National Fire Protection Association's standard for staffing.

Staffing shortages affect departments across the country, and the problem isn't unique to Porterville, Krause told the Times-Delta. The department, however, has already begun to address that issue, as well as others highlighted in the report.

"Over the years, the Porterville Fire Department has not consistently placed a high priority on the training of its personnel," the report stated. "Fortunately, under the present fire administration that has begun to improve."

LaPere stressed that the investigation and report aren't meant to diminish the courageous efforts of Figueroa and Jones. Instead, the findings and recommendations are ways their sacrifices can try to ensure such a tragedy doesn't happen again. In fact, LaPere plans to inform city leaders which report recommendations the department has completed each year.

“None of those recommendations or those findings have any bearing on the heroics of firefighter Jones and Capt. Figueroa," the chief said. "They believed someone was inside and they did their duty to go in after them. They are heroes, always in my mind, and should be in the minds of everyone else."

Go to the City of Porterville's website to read the complete 136-page Serious Accident Review Team (SART) report about the Feb. 18, 2020, library fire.