FOR COUNTY FIRE
A NEW LEGACY
FOR COUNTY FIRE
By : John Chamberlin , Assistant Chief
Assistant Chief John Chamberlin was recently appointed to assume the leadership role for County Fire ’ s brand new Division 6 . With the department for the past 16 years , his most recent role was as chief of Division 5 in the south desert . His leadership has been instrumental in negotiating annexations with the water district in 29 Palms and the fire district in Needles , as well as the department ’ s response plan and preparation for escalated threat incidents . John is qualified as a type 3 incident commander , operations section chief and a type 2 safety officer . He is also an avid recreational shooter .
When I was summoned to headquarters in April , I knew there were big changes on the horizon for our department . Having recently finalized the LAFCO process regarding the annexation of San Bernardino City Fire Department , I knew some tough decisions were about to be made .
While sitting in the office with Chiefs Hartwig , Johnstone and Trapp , it dawned on me that we , the department as a family , were embarking on a new mission . This wasn ’ t as simple as serving a new contract city . This was potentially the largest addition our family might ever face .
And it was being placed in my hands .
We were to assume not just responsibility , but also ownership of service delivery for an organization with 137 years of history , as well as a rich belief in its style of operations . One question came to mind : “ How do we do this ?”
Right off the bat , my statement was that I needed a strong management team in place and that I would need longterm stability with the assignment . I also inquired about the political climate and expectations for my interaction . The marching orders were clear .
“ We will support you in your needs ,” I was told . “ Reestablish your relationships to make us successful .”
The task at hand has been interesting , at times difficult , and certainly challenging . However , as of today , I can honestly say that thanks to each of you , we are well on our way to building our foundation for the future in San Bernardino . This sense is further enhanced by the movement and experience of personnel , both in and out of the city , that took place as part of the transition .
The process started with the weeklong orientation , in which many questions were asked and answered . Thousands of staff hours were spent in development of the orientation , delivery of information , infrastructure support from CONFIRE MIS , other county departments and our cooperators .
Although not everything was perfect on day one , we were — and still are — making great strides in correcting minor issues daily . Challenges will continue to face us . However , it is your attitudes and reactions towards those challenges that are the primary determinant in our long-term success and future .
Division 6 is starting with the iPad Tablet Command feature for our long term planning . We are aware the department is thus currently operating on two different information and command interface systems ; this will be corrected by the end of the year . We are also purchasing the necessary programs to update apparatus status on the iPad , instead of on radio-based SIMMS , and hope to have that online shortly . This will prove to be superior technology in the long term , much like the new radio system being installed countywide .
I hear daily about changes that need to be made , and we are capturing those inputs for team building and infrastructure improvements . The requests for station improvements you all submitted amounted to just over $ 1.3 million . I am not surprised and asked you all to build your template in a manner that would support you now , but also provide us longer term visioning .
Most important is your station security and health . All stations are being evaluated for gates , security wiring and , perhaps most importantly , health-related items . I was approached by Engineer Cory Norton , who as most know is currently battling cancer , about Plymovent vehicle exhaust systems and making sure those are properly installed at all stations to prevent exposures for all of your safety .
One of the biggest challenges the management team faces is that the budget is simply not line-itemed for this fiscal year . We do not yet have a safety net in this first year . As I watch request after request come in , we are keeping a running tally and will know exactly where we stand fiscally by December 2016 .
As you are all aware , the equipment also presents a challenge . There are some large expenditures taking place to more uniformly equip the apparatus to a standard . These include chainsaws , rotary saws , thermal imaging cameras , hose , harwdare and other assorted items . The Apparatus and Equipment Committee has been tasked with a generic setup of the four different engine configurations in the city . Finally , as this edition of FIREWIRE went to press , the standard county EMS equipment was set to be installed .
On the apparatus front , we also need to replace the fleet as aggressively as possible . The units were purchased in bulk numbers , so a rolling replacement schedule is going to be difficult to cover at one time . We met last week to start sending to surplus the 80-plus units that the former department had in its inventory . By reducing inventory and costs , we can apply the savings further to new purchases .
I can only ask for your continued patience as we work through everything . The other of the city ’ s departments have been outstanding in their support of partnerships . We look forward to enhancing those relationships as time and opportunities allow .
Boundary drop continues to be a hot topic . We will continue to support the concept with some minor changes as necessary , with the intent of getting the most appropriate resources to the incident as quickly as possible , understanding that our constituents ( as our external customers ) desire and expect an outstanding level of service .
As I attend meeting after meeting and outreach to the community , I continue to hear positive things . Please keep up the outstanding efforts and commitment .
Duty , Honor , Community .
Respectfully , John
Summer 2016 • FIREWIRE 5