San Mateo County Grand Jury • 2005-2006

Issue What can the Boards of Directors of the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara Fire Protection Districts do to provide

Published: December 31, 2006 18 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 35 findings

F1
Determining the appropriate level of service.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
Establishing goals and objectives.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
Determining and approving budgets.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Promoting the best interests of the District.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
Hiring an effective administrator/fire chief and holding that person accountable for the implementation of district policy, the efficient operation of the department, and fiscal responsibility. Consolidation of the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara Fire Protection Districts: 2 Abandoned house in Half Moon Bay catches fire, Coastsider.com, May 3, 2006 5
No recommendations for this finding
F6
In 2004 the San Mateo County City Managers Association commissioned a study, of the 11 cities and seven special districts that provide fire suppression services to San Mateo county residents3. The study concluded that “consolidation of fire service delivery appears to demonstrate economies of scale reductions on a cost per capita basis for service areas up to approximately 30,000 population.”
No recommendations for this finding
F7
In response to citizens’ requests, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) accelerated its service review of the Point Montara and Half Moon Bay Fire protection Districts and on May 12, 2005, submitted a final report that stated that the area within the boundaries of the two Districts is best governed by a single consolidated fire district.4
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Consolidate the two districts into a single fire protection district by December 31,
F8
At a special joint meeting on February 8, 2006, the HMBFPD and PMFPD Board of Directors voted separately to pass resolutions for both a name and a governance model for the new consolidated district. They chose the name “Coastside Fire Protection District.” The governance model describes the method by which the combined boards would achieve the required odd number of directors and in two subsequent election cycles reduce the number to five at-large members.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
Most individuals interviewed believed that consolidation made good business sense, would be good for fire safety, and would create a more stable organization. One individual said that consolidation was a “no brainer.” Some interviewees, however, had reservations because they were concerned with HMBFPD management. . Conflict between labor and management has existed in the HMBFPD for at least the past six years during which:
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Consolidate the two districts into a single fire protection district by December 31,
F10
HMBFPD has been embroiled in five lawsuits with current or former employees and has so far paid $707,595 in settlements.
No recommendations for this finding
F11
HMBFPD has spent $516,280 on legal fees in addition to the amounts it paid in settlements of lawsuits.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
A division chief spent six months putting together a performance and management system that firefighters and captains did not implement.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
Twenty-eight firefighters have retired or left HMBFPD to seek employment elsewhere. The resulting instability has raised concerns about the ability of the HMBFPD to provide adequate level of services:
No recommendations for this finding
F14
The directors of the PMFPD expressed concerns with management of HMBFPD and in 2003 gave notice they would not renew their contract when it expired in 2005. Since 3 Fire Agency Consolidation Threshold Analysis, Management Partners, Inc. Municipal Service Review, Pt. Montara & Half Moon Bay Fire Districts, May 12, 2005 6 May 19, 2005, HMBFPD has been providing fire service to PMFPD on a month-to- month basis.
No recommendations for this finding
F15
The HMBFPD fire marshal and fire inspector resigned.
No recommendations for this finding
F16
HMBFPD’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a labor agreement with its firefighters, expired on December 31, 2005.
No recommendations for this finding
F17
The HMBFPD fire chief retired in December 2005, and an interim fire chief left in April 2006.
No recommendations for this finding
F18
Nearly all individuals interviewed by the Grand Jury agreed that the problems pointed out by Chief Bonano were valid. Some agreed that the fire district’s ability to provide services consistent with its mission was in jeopardy. Most agreed that action needs to be taken. The HMBFPD Board of Directors has taken initial steps to address District problems:
No recommendations for this finding
F19
Prior to its expiration, the Board of Directors modified the MOU to change the employee retirement plan, to alter the contribution to employee health benefits, and to provide no salary increases.
No recommendations for this finding
F20
The Board of Directors has created a subcommittee to focus on the District’s finances.
No recommendations for this finding
F21
The Board of Directors hired a new attorney to represent the District on March 8, 2006.
No recommendations for this finding
F22
The Board of Directors issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) in April 2006 for contracting out all or a part of the HMBFPD operations. The stated objective of the RFP is to determine if the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara communities can be better and more efficiently served by contracting with nearby agencies for fire and life- safety services. Responders were requested to address the provision of services for the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara Fire Districts independently and collectively.
No recommendations for this finding
F23
In May 2006 the RFP was mailed to 15 fire-service agencies in San Mateo County5. The agencies were told they have until June 15, 2006, to respond. On May 18, 2006, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, CDF, and the San Mateo Fire Department all sent representatives to an informal bidders' conference at the HMBFPD district office.6 Opinions expressed by interviewees during discussion of Alternative 1, “Contract out the Fire Services”:
No recommendations for this finding
F24
The Board of Directors must select a contractor that has an established reputation for effective leadership and delivery of fire protection services. Fire District Awaits Contract Responses, Half Moon Bay Review, May 19, 2006 6 Three Suitors Show For Fire Conference, Half Moon Bay Review, May 24, 2006 7
No recommendations for this finding
F25
The Board of Directors must actively oversee the contracting agency. Contracting the fire services must not be or perceived to be simply a “takeover” of the District by another agency.
No recommendations for this finding
F26
HMBFPD already subcontracts fire prevention services to the San Mateo City Fire Department and up to 12 other services such as janitorial, legal, etc. to other service providers.
No recommendations for this finding
F27
CDF currently provides fire services to all areas that surround the HMBFPD and PMFPD.
No recommendations for this finding
F28
Water rescue is not a core service provided by the District. It can also be provided by a number of other agencies on the Coastside such as the Harbor District, Coast Guard, or state park lifeguards. Surf rescue is a specialized skill and only nine of the 2,406 calls the District responded to in 2005 were for surf rescue.
No recommendations for this finding
F29
HMBFPD is one of three fire agencies in San Mateo County to staff an ambulance. The District now subsidizes the ambulance by about $500,000 per year and this puts a strain on the HMBFPD budget. Opinions expressed by interviewees during discussion of Alternative 2, “Internally rebuild the Fire Department”:
No recommendations for this finding
F30
To rebuild the department will demand a heroic leader, a supportive board, sufficient funding, and a lot of time.
No recommendations for this finding
F31
All interviewees thought it would be difficult to find a suitable fulltime permanent fire chief who was capable of rebuilding the Department.
No recommendations for this finding
F32
The District must rebuild the District’s culture and eliminate the entrenched culture of strife that exists between unionized firefighters and management
No recommendations for this finding
F33
Rebuilding is more likely to fail than succeed in any reasonable time.
No recommendations for this finding
F34
PMFPD may not want to consolidate with HMBFPD if this option is selected. The interviewees were unanimous in their reaction to alternative 3, “Take no action and maintain the status quo”:
No recommendations for this finding
F35
Maintaining the status quo is not a viable option. CONCLUSIONS 8 The Half Moon Bay and Point Montara Fire Protection Districts constitute a single service area and the Grand Jury believes consolidation will achieve cost and service delivery efficiencies The HMBFPD has been mired in a culture of strife for at least the past six years. The District has spent more that $1million in litigation with five of its former or current employees, and has experienced very high employee turnover. These difficulties have negatively impacted the ability of the District to provide an adequate level of service. Now is an opportune time to significantly change the District: the union contract has expired, there are vacancies in the fire chief and one division chief positions, and the current Board of Directors is fully engaged in finding solutions that will serve the interests of the District. It is clearly not in the best interest of the District for the HMBFPD Board of Directors to take no action and merely maintain the status quo. The Grand Jury believes that rebuilding the department from within would be a formidable undertaking, would take a long time, and have only a modest chance of success. The Grand Jury believes that the lowest-risk solution to the Districts’ problems is for the Board of Directors to subcontract fire protection services to another organization. By subcontracting, the District could acquire the operating procedures necessary to provide reliable, consistent fire services within an established culture of cooperation. The Board would retain local control by setting goals and objectives and holding the subcontractor accountable. Furthermore, subcontracting does not preclude the Board from reexamining this decision in future years. The HMBFPD Board of Directors needs to examine the mission of the district and should analyze the costs and benefits of some of the existing services. Not all services now performed by the District are equally important. For example, instead of staffing the ambulance with firefighters and providing for surf rescue, the District could save money by staffing the ambulance with American Medical Response (AMR) personnel and letting the Harbor District, Coast Guard, and State Park Lifeguards provide surf rescue. The Grand Jury believes that the Boards of Directors of the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara Fire Protection Districts must now focus completely on the best interest of the District to set out a vision for the future, to establish goals and objectives, and to hold whoever manages the District accountable for achieving them.
No recommendations for this finding

Conclusions 1

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

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