La Verne Chamber Of Commerce: City Of La Verne Makes Unanimous Decision To Keep City Fire Department

Press release from La Verne Chamber of Commerce:

March 03, 2022

On Monday, February 28, the City of La Verne held an adjourned Council meeting to discuss the future of the City’s fire protection and emergency medical services. Council sought to better understand its options between retaining its own 115-year-old fire department or moving to contract with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. In the last year, Council elected to bring forth the issue to La Verne’s residents for an advisory vote on the June 2022 ballot if they deemed the LA County contract a viable option. However, Council unanimously decided to move forward with retaining its own fire department and withdrew from negotiations with the County.
“Chief Nigg has provided much needed leadership and guidance that will allow us to maintain our fire services at a sufficient level,” said La Verne Mayor Tim Hepburn. “I’m grateful for the research our staff shared with us and the community, as well as the partnership and collaboration with my fellow Councilmembers to accomplish what our residents have been wanting to achieve for several years.”
La Verne requested an initial feasibility study in June of 2019 after concerns regarding Firefighter safety, fire department sustainability, despondent employee culture and questionable ability to meet community and operational area needs were brought to City leadership. Once the initial feasibility study was received, the City elected to continue negotiations with the County and solicit a formal proposal. The proposal subsequently provided details for two in-City deployment options, fire prevention services, department transition, employee transition, fire leadership interaction and the associated costs.
In comparison with the County proposal, the La Verne Fire Department exceeds the County’s resources by one additional operational fire station, two additional personnel, double the number of Paramedic units, a ladder truck, a Battalion Chief and an additional ambulance. Moreover, the La Verne Fire Department offers more than just the day-to-day emergency responses; the City’s department also brings more hands-on administrative services to best serve the community of La Verne.
Converting La Verne’s fire department over to the County would cost nearly a net of $2 million in one-time expenses, with the bulk of costs stemming from converting vehicles, personnel, ancillary equipment and fire stations. In addition to the $2 million conversion, the annual cost of contracting with County services for FY 22-23 is nearly $12 million after incorporating loss of revenues and accounting for a private ambulance contract need. A 5.5% annual increase for continued services with the County is also standard for all fee-for service contract cities. In comparison, the City’s fire services would require just over an $11 million budget allocation for FY 22-23.
“I want to emphasize that this has been a team effort among all of the Councilmembers, City department heads and the La Verne Firefighters' Association,” said Chief Nigg. “From day one of my arrival, our firefighters were on board with moving this department in a positive direction and trusted that I had their best interest at heart. I will always walk the line between what best serves both this community and the Firefighters who work so hard to keep that very community safe. I’m grateful for the direction that Council took to continue investing in our City fire department and for also taking the time to understand the dynamic nature of the fire service. Fire department maintenance requires constant evaluation and adjustment. I’m looking forward to continuing to serve the community of La Verne and improving the equitable relationship with our County fire partners. As a small City and fire agency, they are, and always will be, a key to our success on large, complex incidents. They are a top-notch fire department and we’re fortunate to work alongside them.”
During the presentation on February 28, Chief Nigg and City Manager Bob Russi provided an overview of the La Verne Fire Department’s history and reviewed the timeline of department negotiations with the County for context. In addition, Council was also reminded that they are undergoing a Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover study in order to modernize its approach to fire department deployment. AP Triton consultant Kurt Lapitow provided a preliminary report of the findings so far as to provide Council with a true understanding of the City’s needs based on empirical data and industry standards. Council’s decision to retain the City’s fire department will keep the City moving forward with a redeployment implementation Chief Nigg previously recommended to Council. The Fire Department has already taken steps to reopen Station 3 and implement an ambulance operator program based on direction received by Council in November 2021. Residents can read more about the history and timeline of this issue on the City’s fire and emergency services webpage.

This press release was produced by La Verne Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.