City of Blythe Volunteer Fire Department

The City of Blythe has contracted for the last seven years with Workplace Safety Specialists of Phoenix, Arizona. This private company has trained several City departments, including the CBVFD, to address Cal/OSHA and Hazmat requirements. Cost for training the Volunteer Fire Department in 2005 was $19,124.

A City volunteer fire official stated that the CBVFD adheres to the California State Fire Marshal’s Safety Standards. However, Workplace Safety Specialists informed the Grand Jury, “They have never conducted, or claimed to conduct, State Fire Marshal courses, and have no intention to conduct such courses.” In addition, the City Manager stated, “The Blythe Volunteer Fire Department does not have to have any certification from the State Fire Marshals Office. …The City has never attempted to gain that type of certification, recognizing that there is a distinction between the volunteer firefighter and full-time firefighter’s training.”

The City of Blythe contains many potential structural fire risks, including the existing power plant, future Wal-Mart and proposed casino.

The CBVFD does not respond to medical aid calls since the Department has no paramedics. Blythe Ambulance Service responds to medical aid calls. Riverside County firefighters only respond to medical aid calls in the annexed areas, and must obtain CBVFD permission to respond in the downtown/core area.

For the past two years, Riverside County fire officials have requested that the CBVFD allow Riverside County Fire to respond automatically to all medical emergencies in the downtown/core at no cost to the City. In addition to ambulance service, this would provide another paramedic and two firefighters to assist at the scene. These offers continue to be rejected.

According to the City Manager the, “City of Blythe building inspectors, under the direction of the Senior Building Inspector/Fire Marshal is [sic] responsible for conducting annual fire inspections within the City of Blythe.” 2 The City’s Senior Building Inspector/Fire Marshal/Code Enforcement Officer conducts fire inspections as part of the sign- off procedure for new business licenses. This is a one-time only inspection. This official has no formal fire training, but said that he has “on the job training.”

A Riverside County fire official stated that if the City of Blythe were to contract with Riverside County for fire services, there would be no need for additional fire stations or fire vehicles in the area.