Month: April 2015

News Alert!!: Needles, CA: Public hearing will be held to discuss fire services options for the community.

A public hearing will be held to discuss fire services options for the community of Needles, California.

The public hearing will be held during the Needles City Council at 6:00pm PT on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 inside the Needles City Council Chambers located on the 1700 block of J Street near the Needles Recreation Center and Bailey Avenue in Needles, California.

Due to an increase from $620.000 a year to $1.22 million dollars or a $600.000 increase for San Bernardino County Fire Department to provide fire services to the community and the City of Needles saying that they cannot afford that increase, members of the Needles City Council discussed during the Needles City Council Meeting on Tuesday, April 28th, 2015 on at least fire services options that the City of Needles could possibly do to have fire services in Needles, California.

This increase in cost is due to the phasing out of a program that firefighters came out of the academy, do an apprenticeship of approximately 8 years, and receive minimum wage and no benefits.

According to the San Bernardino County Fire Department, because the demand is so high for professional firefighters, they are able to go from the academy to a job, and the mainly demographic here at work is baby boomers are retiring and some of those are firefighters.

According to the Needles City Manager Rick Daniels, there is at lease 4 options on the table for possible decision and they are either to extend the current contract, annex into the fire district, seed an alternative provider, or establish a City of Needles’s own fire department.

If members of the Needles City Council pick to go with the extend the current contract, which will cost an estimated $1.275,000 with includes the cost of fleet replacement of $50,000, will keep the fire service as is and will include 6 firefighters, a chief officer, operating expenses, and administrative.

The current fire department serviced over 1011 calls in the City of Needles for 2014 with of which 777 were medical calls and responds to mutual aid assistance calls from the Mohave Valley Fire Department in Mohave Valley, Arizona.

When asked by ZachNews how would this affect the City of Needles Budget, Needles City Manager Rick Daniels said that the City of Needles would have to make cuts to services, such as into parks and recreation, animal control, and other services, to afford it. When asked if there is cuts that he would take a cut, the Needles City Manager Rick Daniels refused to comment.

A reduced service level plan was also presented to members of the Needles City Council which will cost an estimate cost of $612,451 which includes the cost of fleet replacement of $50,000, will includes 3 firefighters, a chief officer, operating expenses, and administrative.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department has concerns about how many firefighters are being staffed in Needles, California and plans to decrease the amount from 6 firefighters under the current contract to 3 firefighters showed in the other options.

If members of the Needles City Council pick to go with the annex into the fire district, which will cost an estimated $612,451 and no fleet replacement fund, is a portion of the property tax would be transferred to the fire district which the City of Needles total property tax base is $800,000, but an estimated $612,000 of that would  go to the fire district. According to the Needles City Manager Rick Daniels, the fire district would gain from any incremental increase in property valuation, but they also would bear the costs, and if the fire district needed more money, they would then have to go to the taxpayers for increases which some of the members of the Needles City Council were concern of that happening and have seen that happen in a near by fire district.

As for the alternative provider that members of the Needles City Council could go with, an idea of contracting with Mohave Valley Fire Department came on, but it wouldn’t provide any discernable savings according to the Needles City Manager Rick Daniels with an estimate cost of $1,200,000 which includes the cost of fleet replacement of $50,000, and include chief and full staff in existing station and existing equipment. Some of the members of the Needles City Council brought up the concerns of Mohave Valley Fire Department growing tired to covering our area. As for the idea of private provider, the cost and availability is unknown at this time.

As for the establish a City of Needles’s own fire department, which will cost an estimated $600,000 with includes the cost of fleet replacement of $50,000, will have at least 3 paid on call firefighters with a cost of $275,000 at $10.00 an hour with limited benefits, $100,000 for other payroll costs, $50,000 for a fire department chief, $50,000 for a dispatch, $50,000 for supplies and training, and $50,000 for contingency. The City of Needles would use the current fire station as the City of Needles’s own fire department well the San Bernardino County Fire Department will use their new fire station across the street from Dollar Tree in Needles, California and will continue to serve the rural communities outside the city line of Needles, California well the City of Needles’s own fire department will cover everything within the city line of Needles, California. When asked by ZachNews if this would provide more fire coverage for our community, Needles City Manager Rick Daniels said it would, but would cost more to the City of Needles.

Whatever members of the Needles City Council picks, the San Bernardino County Fire Department will continue to service the rural communities outside Needles, California, and will continue to service Needles, California until the City of Needles chooses a fire services options, but if the City of Needles chooses to pick another fire services options, including having the City of Needles own fire department, everything must be ready to work 100% and without any interruptions.

Needles City Manager Rick Daniels read from a PowerPoint packet titled “Fire Services Options” that detailed what are the options the City of Needles has in front of to choose from as well as the cost for each of the fire services options.

** You can read the full PowerPoint packet titled “Fire Services Options” at the following ZachNews on WordPress website address: **

http://wp.me/p26goG-5Fa

Members of the Needles City Council raised issues regarding how will this affect fire insurance cost and if the City of Needles enters into a fire district service, will our cost go up in the future like other near by fire districts have.

Needles City Council Member Shawn Gudmundson wants to see a staffed engine left in the community at all times which a majority of the members of the Needles City Council demand that they want fire protection.

As ZachNews has reported on many traffic accidents and vehicle fires along Interstate 40 pass to Fenner, California as well as along U.S. 95 (Highway 95) pass Highway 62 up to the county line of Riverside County, California, the San Bernardino County Fire Department covers a wide area and mileages sending out a fire engine, a brush patrol truck, and sometimes a battalion chief to emergency calls such as a semi truck accident along eastbound Interstate 40 with a fuel leak and part of the semi truck is straddling over a bridge that happened on Tuesday, April 14th, 2015 or a roll over accident along eastbound Interstate 40 near Fenner, California on Monday, April 6th, 2015.

Also, Needles City Council Member Shawn Gudmundson, expressed concerns about the cost recovery program and the City of Needles not getting money back for mutual aid as they should.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department assist in mutual aid calls like with Mohave Valley Fire Department when they are needed such as when a single wide mobile home with additions was on fire along Virginia Drive in Mohave Valley, Arizona on Sunday, August 10th, 2014 or when destroyed a structure and threatened another structure along Tropics Road in Mohave Valley, Arizona on Sunday, April 5th, 2015.

** ZachNews took some pictures of the aganda item packet regarding the fire services issue: **

** You can read the full agenda item packet regarding fire services options at the following City of Needles website address: **

http://www.cityofneedles.com/2015_WEBSITE_FILE_POSTING/1_CITY_COUNCIL_NPUA_SARDA/4_APRIL/MTG_2/cc_042815-11.pdf

After the Needles City Council Meeting, ZachNews Photojournalist Zachary A. Lopez spoke to San Bernardino County Fire Department Battalion Chief John Chamberlain about the fire services issue and the options facing the City of Needles.

** You can watch the ZachNews interview with San Bernardino County Fire Department Battalion Chief John Chamberlain at the following ZachNews on YouTube website address: **

ZachNews Photojournalist Zachary A. Lopez spoke to Needles City Manager Rick Daniels about the fire services issue, the options facing the City of Needles, and what affects the fire services options will have on the City of Needles Budget.

** You can watch the ZachNews interview with Needles City Manager Rick Daniels at the following ZachNews on YouTube website address: **

People of Needles, California and people who receive fire services from San Bernardino County Fire Department in Needles, California are urged to attend this public hearing meeting.

** You csn watch the videos regarding Fire Services at the following ZachNews on YouTube webside addresses: **

– Needles City Council: 4-28-2015: Fire Services:

– Needles City Council: 4-28-2015: Fire Services 2:

For more information regarding the Needles City Council Meetings, please contact Dale Jones in the City Clerk’s Office at the City of Needles at: 1 (760) 326-2113 Ext. 345.

** Stay tuned to ZachNews for more news updates with more information regarding this news story. **