One of California Governor Jerry Brown’s proposals to keep the state financially afloat is to reduce the budget of CalFire, the state’s firefighting agency, by $30 million for fiscal year 2011-2012. This will result in eliminating seasonal firefighters and reducing the staffing on engines from four to three.
For the last eight years CalFire has had four on their engines during the peak of the fire seasons. Since the engine operator usually stays at the engine, this staffing reduction would leave only two people available for active fire suppression. When they are putting in a hose lay, as one shuttles additional hose from the engine, the other would frequently be alone at the tip of the spear, battling the flames by themselves — not the safest way to fight fire.
According to a study of the efficiency of engine crews by Matt Rahn of San Diego State University, increasing an engine crew from three to four firefighters improves the efficiency in laying 1,200 feet of hose by 41 percent, or 8.5 minutes.
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UPDATE May 5, 2011: Due to the inability of some people to understand the rules, comments are now closed on this post.
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That’s the attitude,there’s money. Remember over 60 % of calfire firefighters are INMATES! The money is not there. Hotels for allfirefighters and all fire overhead? Tbhats crazy! Most calfire firefighters do not work their ads off,nor do they pit their lives on the line all the time. Wildfires are being and have been managed fir years. Now more than ever. Ask your fellow firefighter how much of his time is actually on HOT fire. Not sitting in a rig waiting or stagingat some park just in case.
Yes, let’s CUT the pay for our firefighters who risk their LIVES and work their asses off, but hey, meanwhile, the US GOV, according to The OECD— calculated that (in 2008) the US spent about $25 billion in foreign aid per year
Read more: (Note from Bill: link removed; it caused flash to crash on my computer)
So when your state officials TELL YOU, the firefighters there is a “BUDGET crisis” tell them FU LIARS there is PLENTY of money, it’s just being squandered and missaapropriated. Do NOT ever believe the LIE that there is NO money. There is a lot of money folks, and it’s hidden in all sorts of bureacratic rooms and deals, so stand tall, stand firm, and FIGHT HARD because you are getting SCREWED and LIED to by your gov. there is MONEY, it’s not being sent to the RIGHT places. We don’t have a “budget crisis” we have a crisis of budgeting and a mass squandering of our public tax dollars by a bunch of baffoons and con artists who should be put on 5150 HOLDS and locked up because they are beyond CRAZY if they think we are this STUPID to believe their lies. ..
I don’t know how it is for every unit, but my unit (AEU) hires the last round (4th ff on engine) at the beginning of June. So, if the special election to decide on cutting staffing isn’t until June would that mean I would get hired for a couple weeks then laid off, or would the election be too late to change things this summer?
Cal Fire and thier sceduled overtime, standby time, and living for free on state grounds needs to come to an end. As some else said, “livin the dream” is coming to an end! I was involved with Cal Fire for 25 years and the waste is unbelevable!(I Hope)
Tetonmike commits about bull@@@. Fine we all go work like Forest Service, were we are off clock 18:00 and go home . So were wildland fire burns down homes, you have wait for crew come back to work go put fire it to late, homes burned to ground. Well say you worked in office were You were told that you have work due off hours in office with out pay. I don’t think you would work there long. So should Cal Fire been run Wildland Fire Management Agency or like a True Fire department.
John-
Thanks for your interest, but in the future, please submit your comments in English. Thanks again.
Not sure what you said, but it sounds just like a cal fire employee,a little rough in speaking/typing english and then off into the zone of what ifs. Thats how we go broke, what if the fire spreads, what if the fire starts, what if the fire burns down a structure, what ifs are not factual. Study the the fires and study the base camps set up for these fires and then you will see the waste that goes on with Cal Fire. Don’t simply take my word for it, its all public info, albeit hard to find, but its there. Just last month look at the uproar when the courts determined that Cal Fire must relese thier salaries to the public. They are threatning lawsuits. Well boo hoo! More later.
Tetonmike [redacted] If you had worked for CDF for 25 years you would have a lot better things to say. You know damn well we work our asses off. We stop the large California wildfires. We are the first engines on scene and the last engines to leave. I personally have worked four plus days straight multiple times, sleeping in the dirt because there is no line relief. There is no question that 4-0 staffing is more effective and a safer way to fight fire, Period
Things could be worse: you could be in Camden, NJ: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/BZ/20110119/NEWS01/101190343/1067/STATE
Hard times are coming. We will have to accept that government can do less. Even our favorite form of government.
Emmett has it right. No one, not even Jerry Brown wants to hurt or kill ffs or cause fires to be lost at IA. Read any of the editorials all across California (or the nation) about the crisis in all levels of government. we’ve been ‘livin the dream’ in government with spending and it’s at the point that the bills must be paid. There’s gonna be lots of pain for everyone. So far they’ve only scratched the surface…they didn’t even address pension costs and unions this time.
The studies about crew efficiency are probably correct, and the safety issue is valid too, but ….. this is all about the available tax $$ in the State, and some tough choices that have to be made: are fewer prison guards putting themselves and the general public at risk? How about fewer cops on the streets and the CHP on the hiways? What effects are reduced social programs like school lunches having on learning processes that will have profound effects 20-30 years down the road? Life (and now politics) is all about making choices – and offering positive options when less than desireable options are offered. Me, I’m just glad that I live in a place where the State budget is still in the Black! As a wildland firefighter, I’ve seen fires escape IA because the needed resources weren’t available, but the resources at risk usually rebound in short order. Bottom line: stay safe, don’t extend your actions beyond your resources, and wait for another day. But a question for Jim about the election of Jerry Brown: how would Carli balance the budget and still not cut services/personnel at CalFire, CalTrans, CalPrisons, etc?
The staffing levels of four per engine was studied prior to full implementation year ago. It was found and confirmed that safety, effectiveness and production were increased at least 40 some percent. The effects of a cut in staffing WILL be realized if implemented. I understand the budgetary crisis but I do not understand or agree with this method of addressing the problem. It will ultimately cost more due to more larger fires. Suppression costs will increase.
Cut the FD, but the seals, otters, & minnows are still livin large of the taxpayers dollars.
California is an epic failure.
Insanity, once someone gets injured or killed; and enough fires escape IA and become multi-million dollar campaigns they will change it back. WTG Cali for electing jerry brown (again).