Monterey Fire Department: Overdue for Overhaul

During its interviews and tours, the CGJ found that firefighters are uniformly committed to the mission of public safety. The City of Moriterey agrees with this finding.

The transition to a consolidated set of policies has not been a priority of the MFD Administration, leading to confusion among staff. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. In 2014, MFD purchased a subscription to Lexi pol, an on line policy manual. The department also has printed policies in binders at the fire stations and PDF policies on a shared drive. Transitioning to a consolidated set of policies on Lexipol has been a priority since January 2024, when a Division Chief took the lead on managing the process of adding and updating policies. To date, 103 of approximately 125 policies have been approved in Lexipol (82.4% complete).

The MFD is not adhering to its Vehicle & Equipment Replacement Policy as three- quarters of the fire apparatus is at or beyond its lifecycle replacement. This has resulted in a doubling of the repair frequency over the past three years, increasing the workload of the City's Public Works Department, and affecting apparatus availability for emergencies, thus endangering the public. The City of Monterey disagrees with this finding. The repair frequency over the past three (3) years has increased due to an aging fleet. However, MFD has not reduced the number of apparatus in service at any time due to the increased repair frequency and at no time has the public been endangered. As shown in the table in response to Finding F2, fourteen (14) new vehicles/apparatus have been purchased in the last five (5) years to maintain compliance with the Vehicle & Equipment Replacement Policy.

The MFD's primary tiller truck has been out-of-service for nearly a year and the 25- year-old backup tiller truck has frequent breakdowns often leaving the MFD without an operable 100-foot ladder causing the need to call for mutual aid from other fire departments. T e City of Monterey agrees with this finding. At no time was the City at risk of not having a ladder truck available for emergency response. The City of Monterey and our contract cities have never been without a ladder truck capability even when MFD T-11 was out-of-service due to repair or maintenance. Monterey has auto-aid agreements in place with Pebble Beach Community Service District FD and Seaside FD. When T-11 is down for maintenance or repairs, MFD will request that the auto-aid type-1 engine be replaced with a ladder truck upon dispatch. This agreement is reciprocal and when requested, MFD will provide the same option to our partner agencies when they have a ladder truck out-of-service. MFD can also call for additional ladder trucks for larger incidents under our mutual aid system. Presidio of Monterey FD is the next closest ladder truck followed by Salinas FD. It is common practice for ladder trucks to serve as a shared resource among communities. For example, the Monterey Peninsula (including the communities of Monterey, Sand City, Seaside, Marina, Del Rey Oaks, Carmel, Pebble Beach, and Pacific Grove) has a combined population of approximately 113,000 residents and is served by four ladder trucks, a ratio of one ladder truck for every 28,250 residents. The City of San Jose, for example, has a population of 969,491 and is served by nine ladder trucks, a ratio of one ladder truck for every 107,721 residents.

Having only one certified fire apparatus mechanic serving the Monterey fleet hampers quick repairs and puts the M FD at risk of not having the proper equipment in service to respond to emergencies thus endangering the public. The City of Monterey disagrees with this finding. Fire apparatus staffing has not endangered the public. Generally speaking, having only one fire apparatus mechanic, with no other options for repairs, is not sufficient to maintain a fleet the size of the Monterey Fire Department. However, that is not the case. The Fire Department is now able to send apparatus to outside vendors including Golden State Truck and Trailer in Salinas. In addition, MFD has had a contract with a mobile tire service company since 2019 and entered into a contract in May 2024 with a mobile mechanic to perform U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) inspections and repairs. Since diversifying repair options, the Fire Department has experienced less frequent downtime of vehicles and a reduced reliance on the Fire Department's reserve apparatus.

All Monterey-owned fire stations are in a significant state of disrepair. Years of neglect and normal wear have resulted in unsafe and unsanitary living and working conditions and contribute to the low morale for MFD personnel. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. Monterey Fire Stations 12 and 13 were built in 1951 and Station 11 was built in 1959, and both facilities are aging. Since 2006, the City has allocated $1,502,481 in Capital Projects funding for the repair and upgrade of fire facilities. While the City's fire stations are aging and have ongoing maintenance needs, as is common for facilities built over 60 years ago, these facilities are not unsafe and are not unsanitary. Safety issues and concerns about sanitation are addressed swiftly. The City has been focused in recent years on the need to adequately fund and implement repairs and renovations of the community's fire stations. City staff, council, community members, and members of the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program (NCIP) recognize the importance of these community assets and the need to maintain them adequately. In Fiscal Year 2021, the City Council authorized a Central Public Safety Building Assessment analysis, which has been developed and drafted. The purpose of the analysis is to determine the future needs and costs to replace the existing Central Public Safety Building, which includes Fire Station 11, the Police Department, Fire Administration, and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The City Council will receive a briefing on this study by the end of this calendar year. In Fiscal Year 2024, Building Maintenance staff have spent 653 labor hours on repairs and maintenance of fire facilities, including roof repairs, electrical repairs, a new stove, and new washers and dryers.

The extent of the deterioration of the Station 13 training tower is a danger to the station, its firefighters, and the parking area immediately adjacent. The City of Monterey disagrees with this finding. The Station 13 training tower is not in a usable condition due to age and water damage. However, upon assessment by an outside structural engineer and architect, it is not at risk of falling or a risk to collapsing on the station, firefighters, or parking area. The tower has not been used for over five (5) years due to its condition.

Most MFD firefighter companies work and live in 70-year-old facilities that have not been thoroughly tested for hazardous building materials potentially endangering their health and safety. The City of Monterey disagrees with this finding. The City follows all state and federal asbestos and lead paint standards and receives training annually to identify hazardous materials. If possible hazardous materials are identified during the course of work, the City employee will contact the City's on-call HazMat Testing & Abatement contractor to test and remove the materials, if necessary, in accordance with state and federal guidelines. The City maintains detailed records of all testing and abatement of hazardous materials at City facilities.

Responding from the new airport north-side station increases the response time to serve the Fisherman's Flats/Ryan Ranch/Hwy 68 neighborhoods putting public safety at risk. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. It is correct that the distance and response time between the Monterey Peninsula Airport District's new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) fire station and the Fisherman's Flats/Ryan Ranch/Highway 68 neighborhoods is greater. However, per the agreement with the Monterey Peninsula Airport District (MPAD), the engine can be available for response on the South side for up to 12 hours per day during the higher call volume times. Stations 11 and 13 are the primary response stations when the Airport engine is not available.

Firefighter companies at the airport south-side modular trailer do not have access to safe inside changing and storage areas for their turnout gear, violating NFPA standards and causing potential harm and distress for firefighters. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. There was no changing and storage area for turnout gear when the modular unit was placed in service. However, on June 21, 2024, a safe inside changing and storage area was installed next to the modular building. NFPA standards are guidelines to consider when creating policies and standard operating procedures.

Fire engines at the airport south-side modular trailer are exposed to the weather hastening deterioration and increased costs for repair or replacement. The City of Monterey disagrees with this finding. The fire engine, while at the south side modular location, does not have a space for covered parking. However, it is not uncommon for other vehicles to not have covered parking. For example, the Police Department has no covered parking for vehicles, transit, and school buses often do not have covered parking, and fire apparatus is often parked outside of the apparatus bay for maintenance and training for a significant amount of time. The City does not agree that the lack of covered parking significantly increases costs for repair or replacement.

No potable water is available inside the south-side modular trailer, compromising the health and safety of the firefighters who work there during daytime hours. The City of Monterey disagrees with this finding. Since being in service, the modular trailer has had Alhambra water delivery service bi-weekly to provide clean, potable drinking water. Per Mobile Modular, whom MF D contracts with for the modular trailer, the water from the faucets is non- potable but safe for hand washing and washing dishes.

The MFD currently relies on an outdated two-tone paging system for alerts. Upgrading to a modern Fire Station Alerting system would enhance response times for multi-station emergency calls and bolster public safety. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. It is unclear if updating the Fire Station Alerting system would enhance response times for multi-station emergency calls. However, the City agrees that the current alerting system should be updated.

The MFD does not utilize facility dogs that have been successfully used to enhance wellbeing for first responders and build positive relationships in the community. The City of Monterey agrees with this finding. The Monterey Fire Department does not have a facility dog program.

Some MFD staff are unaware of the process to access a City-contracted Licensed Marriage Family Therapist or County Behavioral Health Department personnel which compromises their mental wellness. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. The City of Monterey began a contract with Karen Lansing in 2019 for public safety PTSD counseling services. Flyers with the information, including contact information, have been posted in every station since February 2024. MFD may contact the Monterey County Health Department for assistance with critical incident responses. All members of the mental health committee and all Division Chiefs have their contact information -the City does not contract with the County for services for members to contact them individually. The City of Monterey also provides confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 11 s rvices. At least annually, the City's Human Resources (HR) Department consistently sends information about the services. HR also upgraded the current EAP plan for public safety members, increasing the number of counseling sessions available in May 2024. The information regarding this upgrade was provided to all stations during the Department's Suicide Awareness Safety Stand Down Week in May 2024. All personnel have been provided with resources and materials to seek assistance for mental health and wellness concerns.

The MFD policies for After-Action Reviews and Critical Incident Stress Management are in draft form leading confusion or misinterpretation by MFD personnel. The City of Monterey partially disagrees with this finding. The After-Action Review (AAR) policy was issued through Lexipol on February 7, 2024 (over 3 months prior to the issuing of this Civil Grand Jury report). The Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) policy was issued on May 1, 2024.