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Fire chiefs and residents urge investment in equipment, brush clearance after budget review
Summary
Workshop presenters and multiple residents said the volunteer-heavy fire department faces steep equipment and personnel costs and urged a mix of grant-seeking, local assessments, a new community foundation and targeted fuel-reduction programs to reduce wildfire risk.
La Habra Heights residents and city staff used a budget workshop to foreground the fire department’s capital and personnel needs and to press for immediate action on brush clearance and equipment replacement.
Staff described a largely volunteer department with paid chiefs and paramedics and said turnover among volunteer firefighters can be high; staff noted retention pressures for paramedics and the high cost of replacement apparatus and personal protective equipment. "About 80% [turnover] in the fire department," Rafferty said of volunteer turnover during the presentation, and he described a recent engine purchase funded with state assistance that relieved a major capital burden.
Residents who are career firefighters cautioned that underinvestment could produce catastrophic losses in a high-wind, drought-affected fire season. "If we don't have the proper fire department with good response times ... that's going to create an issue for us," said Louis Hernandez, a 30-year fire-service veteran. He urged council to weigh 'risk versus gain' and invest in pre-deployment, equipment and staffing where necessary.
Council described near-term steps: approval of a satellite/drone fuel-loading survey to identify priority areas for mitigation, increased emphasis on brush-abatement enforcement, and the creation of a La Habra Heights Community Foundation (501(c)(3)) to accept donations for capital purchases so the general fund can be preserved for operations and emergencies.
What was asked of the council: Residents urged clearer funding pathways (grants, assessments, philanthropy) and asked the city to pursue state/federal grant sources aggressively, even while acknowledging many grants have become harder to secure. The council committed to broader outreach about the new foundation and to bringing options for funding replacement PPE, breathing apparatus and engines back to future meetings.
Ending: No formal appropriation was adopted at the workshop, but council noted it had already approved some equipment purchases and that fuel-reduction mapping and a foundation are immediate priorities.
