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Fire chief says staffing and apparatus increases improving readiness; 12 personnel deployed to LA fire
Summary
Fire Chief Bradley Dandridge told council the department has added staff and is pursuing apparatus placement and training improvements; union leaders and the chief noted deployments to Los Angeles and ongoing vacancies.
Fire Chief Bradley Dandridge told the City Council on Tuesday that the Santa Maria Fire Department has increased staffing and is implementing training, prevention and apparatus-placement changes to improve readiness for major fires and medical emergencies.
Chief Dandridge said a January 2024 community risk assessment found the department had 0.64 firefighters per 1,000 residents and recommended additional staffing. "Mayor, you and previous council approved an additional of 9 firefighters to our budget which increased our approved staffing by 3 per shift," he said, adding that nine firefighters were hired in April 2024 and eight successfully completed the recruit academy and are now in the field.
Dandridge said the department's approved staffing rose from 66 when he arrived to 76 and that the department budget increased from roughly $23.4 million to $26.3 million. The department aims ultimately to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidance of four firefighters per engine company and has sought to place apparatus so most locations are within a four-minute travel time.
Council members asked about current vacancies and coverage when personnel deploy to out-of-area incidents. The chief said the department currently has five firefighter vacancies. He said 12 personnel responded to the Los Angeles incident, including specialized regional task force crews, and other personnel volunteered or were recalled to backfill stations. "This particular one, we sent 12 people responded ... so there was no reduction to the service within our city," Dandridge said.
Matt Cherkoff, president of the Santa Maria Firefighters Association, praised the members who deployed and pointed nearby residents to resources from the California Fire Foundation for displaced residents and affected firefighters; he also noted a GIS analysis of department response that the union has published online.
Cherkoff urged residents to review their own evacuation and emergency plans and to consider the department's readiness materials. Chief Dandridge also described investments in training (including a new 40-hour training captain role and use of regional training facilities) and prevention (four fire inspectors were added to the prevention division in 2024).
Ending: The council heard a status report and exchanged questions about staffing, vacancies and water supply for firefighting; staff said the department will continue recruiting to fill vacancies and pursue apparatus and training changes recommended by the 2024 master plan.
