Lompoc interim fire chief calls department “stable but strained” amid vacancies and heavy forced overtime

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 sustainable and how the city should reduce forced overtime — which Chay said includes both voluntary and forced assignments. He described a “brownout” practice for Rescue 51 when qualified operators are not available, in which the rescue unit is temporarily taken out of service and personnel are redistributed to engines.

Councilors repeatedly questioned whether pay, benefits and scheduling were the primary drivers of attrition. Kevin Crowell, a union representative, said exit interviews show pay, benefits and schedule are the most common reasons firefighters leave. “Typically, 9 out of 10 times, it’s pay, benefits and work schedule,” Crowell said.

Chay and city staff described vacancies concentrated at the engineer rank and a multi‑year effect of losing senior personnel that has left a mid‑level experience vacuum. Chay said the department is running recruiting and academy efforts — an academy was scheduled in the coming weeks — but emphasized a lag between hiring and having fully qualified personnel on duty.

The council and staff discussed options including increased hiring to add depth, incentives for retention, reserve/auxiliary programs and better succession training. Council members noted the cost of frequent rehiring and training and urged staff to examine whether boosting compensation would be more cost‑effective than continually replacing staff.

Chay described how mutual aid deployments can also provide revenue and equipment funding when the department sends crews to statewide incidents, but he cautioned that mutual aid is only a partial solution. “Our primary responsibility is the service levels within the city first,” he said.

Council response and next steps: Council members asked staff to bring back recruitment and retention options and requested more data on overtime hours, reserve program feasibility and training timelines. City staff said they are revising staffing and recruitment plans and will provide follow‑up information to the council.

Ending: The council did not take immediate formal action on staffing at the meeting but signaled support for further staff work on recruitment, retention incentives and operational planning.