District reports new paramedics, fuels crew activity and staffing plans tied to IFT revenue

The Ukiah Valley Fire District’s chief and finance staff updated the board on staffing, paramedic training and the fuels crew during the chief’s report.

Chief Buckingham and finance staff said the district has hired or placed three paramedics on the IFT side and is recruiting additional paramedics. The district explained it is using revenue from interfacility transfers to fund training and to support staffing; Eric said IFT revenue projections enabled some staffing and equipment changes in the budget.

Staff described a repayment agreement for paramedic school: if an employee leaves before a three‑year commitment, the cost of training is prorated and may be repaid by the employee, with the largest repayments due if they leave earlier in the commitment period.

The chief said the district has begun deploying a fuels crew to treat vegetation at target sites; work started at Gap Park and the crew will be used on projects that can count toward grant performance metrics. The district is reviewing agreements and legal language to allow treated acres performed by partnering crews elsewhere in the county to count toward the district’s grant milestones.

Directors asked about how the fuels crew could be used and whether it could be contracted out; staff said while the crew could do paid work, grant rules may require accounting for any revenue generated by the crew to the grant. Staff said they continue exploring ways to sustain the fuels crew if grant funding ends, including work that can generate revenue but that will be accounted for appropriately.

The board received the updates and acknowledged hiring and training activity.