Public debate flared up Monday evening at an Encinitas City Council meeting over a plan that would close two fire stations and dissolve the current ambulance service so that the city might build its own.
The plan to close two of the city’s six fire stations was proposed by Dr. Bob Bonde last May. He proposed cross manning ambulances with firefighters and getting out from under the county-run ambulance service.
With those savings, Bonde wants to city to buy its own ambulances. The controversial plan has many critics, including Fire Chief Mike Daigle.
The fire chief says Station Four is the second busiest in the city -- second only to Station One, which is downtown.
Under this proposed plan, oddly enough, these are the two that would close.
“You start reducing stations and then you start cross manning,” said Daigle. “A couple calls to the city and you are depleted. Your resources are depleted.”
Over 90 minutes at a council meeting Monday night, fire department administrators revealed an 89 page analysis of current services.
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It included average response times, population studies, the difficulty and cost of a start up ambulance service and the effect of a closing two fires stations.
“It would take a lot to convince me this is the right direction for Encinitas,” Mayor Kristin Gaspar said.
While the Mayor was impressed, Bob was not.
“This was a sales pitch. The fire department is desperate to protect its entity and practices they have had in the past that are broken,” Bonde said.
Lara Wiseman listened to the number crunching and analysis. She had only this to add: Her account of how, one week ago, Station One firefighters saved her husband's life when he was having a heart attack.
“It just felt like the best moment of my life, seeing them walk through that door,” Wiseman said. “Knowing they saved my husband and the boys are going to have a father.”
Doctor Bonde may not have convinced the city to restructure its fire department his way, but he most certainly got local politicians, residents and the fire department administration to take a harder look at how it does business and at what cost.
