Small California FD Union Backs Takeover By Los Angeles County FD

[x635 4,066]

WOW! Oh, if only in our area some departments looked at the issue...which is reality.....the way this union does. The issues they bring up are EXACTLY the same issues a lot of departments face here.

 

STATEMENT: http://www.hermosabch.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8226

 

 

[Danger 160]

At least two other cities (El Segundo and Monterey Park) with similar demographics to Hermosa Beach tried this recent years. Both were defeated by taxpayers at referendum even though they came with savings.

Edited December 31, 2016 by Danger

[Oaks 18]

Sounds like it benefits the firefighters more then the public.

[Danger 160]

6 minutes ago, Oaks said:

Sounds like it benefits the firefighters more then the public.

 

Hermosa Beach is a seaside town of 19,000 with a fire department that consists of one fire engine and an ambulance. If you can't see how regional services delivery could help a community like that I don't know who could. The whole south bay consists of two engine and one truck departments like Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo, and El Segundo which could regionalize like say, North Hudson NJ or the Verdugo cities in the LA basin. Besides those, there's Torrance, a mid size department and then the inland cities like Inglewood, Hawthorne and Carson as well as the Palos Verde area which are all LACoFD.

[SECTMB 612]

13 hours ago, Oaks said:

Sounds like it benefits the firefighters more then the public.

 

I don't doubt that this would probably benefit the firefighters, although without a side by side comparison of their respective contracts I could only speculate that this potential merger will bring about better pay, benefits and promotional opportunities.

 

But, I have no doubt that the citizens would benefit from access to full resources of the LA Co FD.

[antiquefirelt 994]

On 12/30/2016 at 6:04 PM, Danger said:

At least two other cities (El Segundo and Monterey Park) with similar demographics to Hermosa Beach tried this recent years. Both were defeated by taxpayers at referendum even though they came with savings.

One must wonder if the Union was for or against consolidation in these cases? Hard to imagine taxpayers supporting their own FD if the FD thinks the new one would be better. Seems more likely the Union was key in retaining their own FD. Hermosa may be a true "win-win"?

[Danger 160]

5 hours ago, antiquefirelt said:

One must wonder if the Union was for or against consolidation in these cases? Hard to imagine taxpayers supporting their own FD if the FD thinks the new one would be better. Seems more likely the Union was key in retaining their own FD. Hermosa may be a true "win-win"?

 

Nope. In both El Segundo and Monterey Park the local and the Chief supported consolidation. In El Segundo anti-consolidation groups cited minimal savings and loss of local control. In Monterey Park, anti-consolidation people accused the union of supporting the measure so they could "have upward mobility in a larger department" despite $2m in savings.

 

ES: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/el-segundo-votes-to-keep-citys-fire-department.html

MP: http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/article/ZZ/20130531/NEWS/130539831

[antiquefirelt 994]

3 minutes ago, Danger said:

 

Nope. In both El Segundo and Monterey Park the local and the Chief supported consolidation. In El Segundo anti-consolidation groups cited minimal savings and loss of local control. In Monterey Park, anti-consolidation people accused the union of supporting the measure so they could "have upward mobility in a larger department" despite $2m in savings.

 

ES: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/el-segundo-votes-to-keep-citys-fire-department.html

MP: http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/article/ZZ/20130531/NEWS/130539831

Thanks for putting that into context. I guess some people always smell a rat with government, thus even a good idea that saves them money and improves service must somehow be a bad deal. Sadly it looks like it means those FD's will continue to run unsafely understaffed, a factor that the voters didn't seem to grasp.

Edited January 2, 2017 by antiquefirelt