What is a firefighter? If you were to ask your neighbor, what would she say?
The mission of every firefighter is to protect lives, property and the environment — in that very same order. A firefighter will risk a lot to save a lot.
The title of firefighter is somewhat misleading. Yes, running into a burning building is something that a firefighter will do without hesitation, however the actual task of putting "The Wet Stuff on The Red Stuff" is only one of many hats donned by a firefighter.
Again, what is a firefighter?
A firefighter will be there to remove the pile of metal that was once a vehicle, which is now wrapped around your 17-year-old son. A firefighter will be there when your two-year-old daughter has a febrile seizure. A firefighter will even be there when you lock your keys in your Toyota Camry.
Firefighting is not what you see depicted on TV and in the movies, they tend to romanticize the profession. Although the movies can serve as a recruitment tool for the fire service, those who are seeking a career as a firefighter for the glory, for the uniform, or to be a hero will never make it onto the floor. In California only the top 1 percent of aspiring firefighters will ever have the opportunity to serve their community in the scope of a professional firefighter.
The recruitment process for the firefighting professional is a rigorous one and is specifically designed to weed out those who are seeking the career for the aforementioned reasons. Even so, the vast majority of those who are seeking to be a firefighter for the correct reasons, unfortunately will not have the opportunity — only the elite will earn a spot on the engine.
So, why am I telling you this?
As you may or may not be aware, there is a political debate here on the Coast that has the potential to affect every resident who calls the Coastside home. The Fire Department here on the Coast is a specialized district consisting of the geographical areas from Montara down through Half Moon Bay, called the Coastside Fire Protection District (CFPD). The CFPD differs somewhat from other municipal fire departments in that the District is governed by a Board of Directors, whereas other municipal departments are usually governed by a City Council.
Currently the CFPD is under a labor contract with the State Fire Agency, Cal Fire. Cal Fire is contracted to provide fire service here on the Coast through June 2013.
Contrary to the belief, Cal Fire does not own the firefighting equipment in our fire stations. Coastside Fire owns all three front line fire engines, Coastside Fire owns the Quint (the fire apparatus with the big white aerial ladder), Coastside Fire owns all of the reserve engines, the battalion vehicles and the three fire stations.
Cal Fire does not own or operate the ambulance that you may have seen here on the Coast. The CFPD contracts with American Medical Response of San Mateo County to provide the Coastside with a means of emergency medical treatment and transport.
The Board majority — the three members being recalled, Doug Mackintosh, Mike Alifano and Gary Riddell — voted to end the contract with Cal Fire at the end of the current term. They are being recalled because they have found it to be financially responsible and feasible to build a better, standalone fire department that is more responsive to the needs of visitors and residents of the Coastside.
On April 9th the special election to recall the Board Majority will be held. There is a multitude of reasons the proponents of the recall have established as their platform, one of which I have started to discuss and will continue to do so for the remainder of this blog: What is a firefighter?
It has been mentioned, if we — the residents of the Coastside do not recall the Majority (of the Fire Board), we will have an understaffed and under-trained fire department. Understaffed and under-trained will never be adjectives used to describe a fire department and certainly not used to describe our Coastside Fire Protection District.
Remember all firefighters, including the future firefighters of our Coastside Fire Protection District will be sworn to protect lives, property and the environment. Every CFPD Firefighter takes an oath to serve our community.
When it does come time to run into your burning home, every responding firefighter will be trained and every fire engine will have at least three exceptionally skilledfFirefighters on board.
Will every CFPD firefighter be fully trained?
All Firefighters operate in teams, regardless if it is a structure fire, wildland fire or medical call. All calls for emergency require teamwork. As mentioned earlier, firefighters are not heroes, they may perform heroic tasks, but firefighters are not heroes.
Our CFPD firefighters put their lives on the line for us knowing that if something shall go wrong, they know the other CFPD Firefighters have the finest training, the strength, and mental fortitude to perform the rescue. In other words, there is not a fire department in this country, including the CFPD, that will put an under-trained person on the floor. An under-trained person not only puts the public in danger but also endangers his entire Fire Crew.
You would be hard pressed to find a single firefighter who has the words under-trained and understaffed in his vocabulary, let alone one who is comfortable with a mediocre, under-trained partner who will ultimately jeopardize his life and the lives of our community.
Only the top 1 percent of aspiring firefighters will have the opportunity to become an elite, highly trained professional. And rest assured, the Coastside Fire Protection District will be selecting amongst the elite. There is no room, and certainly no time for mediocrity.
On April 9th, Support A Better Fire Department. Vote NO in support of all three Recallees.
