With the entire state of California local and state agencies are dealing with the staffing challenges, especially in the rank of Firefighter/Paramedic, will this be a factor in availability and senior staff denying local Strike Teams to fill out their mutual aid agreements? Will senior staff cater to addressing and serving to their own communities and or jurisdictions and limiting and or offering up personnel to send out and assist our state? What is the penalty on the breach of our states mutual aid agreement and who will exercise the authority to hold agencies accountable? Additional: will we see inmate camps budgeted for and back in service to assist?
3 Likes
Loss of inmate crews was due to changes in sentencing not due to budget cuts. CF replacing inmates with FF1 , CCC and CA National Guard crews. Fire Chiefs can refuse to send their equipment if they have concerns or threats. However local gov that have Cal OES equipment are required to staff and send OES engines.
13 Likes
The only agreements which must be filled are local government agencies which house an OES engine. All other requests are voluntary. That is the premise behind mutual aid, help if you can. But to your point, yes, it will have an effect on the willingness and ability to send resources out.
3 Likes
Historically in the past, if a LG department obtained an OES rig, it was essentially required to respond. Because of multiple large campaign fires at once for multiple years, staffing issues, or mechanical problems, OES has eased up on the requirements; or at least have given a little slack to those agencies. Our Agency, like many others, recently gave up the OES equipment because of said issues.
5 Likes