Growing Pains &
Money Problems
BIG BEAR FIRE AUTHORITY
By E T Russell
In
the past few months, really the past couple of years until the present, Big
Bear Fire Chief Jeff Willis has been at the forefront of a battle in the Big
Bear Valley making all efforts to bring the best of the Big Bear Fire
Department, that is affordable to residents and state-of-the-art apparatus and
equipment; while carrying the message of an oncoming budget crisis. Along with
a valley-wide expansion, the business districts attracting more visitors, the
necessary emergency services aren’t growing with the demands
The
Fire Chief answers to a board of elected individuals who represent both the
east end and the west of the Valley, the Big Bear Fire Authority. To the west the board of directors are also
the City of Big Bear Lake Council; while the east are representatives of
Community Service District in Big Bear City, that also incorporates several
surrounding communities.
Big Bear Fire Authority 2019
Chairman Bill Jahn
Fire Chief Jeff Willis
Vice Chairman John
Green
Senior Finance Officer Kristin Mandolini
Director David
Caretto
Assistant Chief Mike Maltby
Director Rick
Herrick Authority Counsel Jeff Ferre
Director Bob
Jackowski
Authority Counsel Joseph Sanchez
Director Karyn
Oxandaboure Director Larry Walsh
Director John Russo Director Al Ziegler
Top
priority to all Fire Departments is the critically important response time with
the appropriate emergency vehicles and adequate crew to the 9-1-1 calls. Fire-fighting is a complicated science that
continues to growth with new techniques and strategy to keep updated with
demands of a growing population. But the
bottom line is trying to live on a budget that is exhausted and has been for
some time. Anyone with a growing family
is very well acquainted with similar challenges.
To
the public, the Chief has presented the budget problems as well as, well
thought-out possible solutions and asking the public to work with him and the
Big Bear Fire Authority. The BBFA got
even more specific in March 2019, with orders that Big Bear Fire Chief Jeff
Willis balance the budget quickly and not withdraw from the reserve funds.
At
recent Big Bear Fire Authority meetings the subject of budget is the #1 issue
and truly the only subject of discussion.
The BBFA seriously cannot offer the fire services with the increase in
call volume it has for years to all the Big Bear Valley by drawing from
reserves. Fire Chief Jeff Willis has
been directed that the reserves will not last another year. Therefore, he, his staff, fire fighters and
supportive individuals, have ‘walked the pavement’, knocked on doors,
handed-out informational fliers, ‘walked and talked with Valley residents,
explaining there has to be a change, an improvement in the budget. At town hall meetings, service organizations,
any group that would listen the Chief explained that the bottom line was change
was inevitable.
BBFA
has analyzed the feasibility of forming a community facilities district within
the Authority’s service area. A community facilities district is a flexible
financing mechanism that would allow the Authority to distribute the costs of
its services across all of those that the Authority provides services to,
including the tourism and hospitality industries. Further discussion will take
place at the next scheduled Big Bear Fire Authority meeting
Almost
immediately when the deficit spending issue became apparent and had to come to
a halt; the cutting back would begin with the closure of the Sugarloaf Fire
Station#283, located on Maple Drive across the street from Bear Valley High
School and Baldwin Elementary. The
matter of the closure of a very necessary fire station hit hard in the east-end
of Big Bear Valley. March 23rd, residents from Sugarloaf and the
surrounding communities crowded into the small Sugarloaf Fire Station bay, for
the monthly Sugarloaf Property Owners
Association to get information about the potential closure. Instead of their normal matter of business, a
guest speaker and socializing with neighbors, the hot-topic was the Fire
Station closure and how would the most upset property owners and neighbors get
fire protection and public safety without service within a reasonable
area.
Photos by E T Russell
Assistant
Fire Chief Mike Maltby and Battlion Ryan Harold, accompanied by approximately
ten Fire Fighters became the focus of the Sugarloaf Property Owners’
program. They and others from
surrounging neighborhoods came to hear if there were alternatives and solutions
to closing the fire station. Maltby and
Harold fielded questions about the dilemma and explained the dire need to
increase funding. There was hope that
perhaps with the absence of Chief Willis that Malby and Harold would get a more
favorable group participation to solutions.
Some of those Fire Fighters live in the Sugarloaf – Big Bear City
vicinity and realize the hardship that everyone is facing.
Photos by Janet Stevens Moore
Another
Big Bear Fire Authority Workshop took place in Big Bear Lake, at the Big Bear
Fire Department, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, that was attended by approximately
200 or more residents from all over Big Bear Valley. Although it was labeled a
workshop it was a public hearing or town hall meeting, where Chief Willis and
the Big Bear Fire Authority Board listened to ‘the people’. A variety of complaints and suggestions, as
well as some positive supportive statements were heard.
Chief
Willis gave a power-point presentation of proposed choice budgets that would
allow the Fire department to maintain service to all areas, but require
increase property taxes.
After approximately three hours of patiently
listening, the BBFA directors responded with very little adjustment room and
the reality that definite ‘change’ has to be made.
For
more information and statements from BBFA Directors see this website: http://www.bigbearlake.net/etnews/ Councilman CARETTO
Comments
and Mayor PUTZ Comments