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Lompoc interim fire chief calls department “stable but strained” amid vacancies and heavy forced overtime
Summary
Interim Fire Chief Kevin Chay told the City Council the Lompoc Fire Department responds to about 5,300 incidents a year but operates with chronic vacancies, frequent forced overtime and reliance on mutual aid; the department met response-time goals but warned staffing levels are not sustainable long term.
Interim Fire Chief Kevin Chay told the Lompoc City Council the fire department is “stable but strained,” citing chronic vacancies, heavy reliance on overtime and limits to in-house specialty resources.
Chay said the department responds to roughly 5,300 emergency incidents annually from two stations, keeps a minimum daily staffing of nine personnel and currently has four vacancies with two more expected. “We consistently meet the needs of the community, but we’re doing so with a relatively lean deployment model,” he said, adding the department’s median response time is 4 minutes 51 seconds, within the master plan’s five‑minute goal.
Why it matters: Council members pressed staff on whether those staffing levels are…
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