Letter: It’s time to go with CDF

The following were my comments at the special PMFPD meeting, on 4/29/05. I have tremendous admiration and respect for my co-directors.  However, I feel the following:

1)  I went to the Fire Districts Association of California Conference to see some fire chiefs,  fire board directors, and seminar leaders. After my conversations and study, I feel we should go to the California Division of Forestry (CDF) and have a "cooling off" period between the boards.  We should take this time considering community input, the results of the Municipal Service Review, and the results of the Renee Mayne’s report.

2)  I really fear going into business for ourselves.  Half of the packet, at my conference, had to do with lawsuits.

3)  We could go with CDF and see how the community responds to this service provider. I feel that we are holding a bad hand right now and it would be prudent to go with an intermediary like CDF.

4)  The CDF territory backs up into our district;  they are overseeing the Slide and Tunnel.  So they would be a good fit.

5)  We, as a board, never studied CDF as a real possibility, for our district. We never solicited a quote from CDF.  The attorney from CDF is the attorney for the State of California.  This type of protection is invaluable.

6)  LAFCo has given us an opportunity to wait; to make this decision with public input.

7)  Tim Bateman, representing his labor group, said that the firefighters want us to stop the break-up of HMB Fire and PM Fire. He said it would be better to stay together rather than coming apart.  (Right now the cut-off date is 9/18/05).  (note: President MacKimmie and McShane asked the HMB Board for an extension of the contract; as, did Director Eufusia. The vote was 3 against, 1 for. Many things will be settled in the next few months: the LAFCo study, Renee Mayne’s Managerial Audit, and elections.

8)  I suggested to my board that a contractual arrangement/extension be worked out since all of this valuable information is forthcoming.

9)  The stakeholders are the Public, the Firefighters,  Management, and the Board, I feel that steps are being made at HMBFPD (Renee Mayne will start in May) to assist in correcting designated problem areas.

10) Rather than going back on our own, I feel we should ask for a contract extention.

11)  LAFCo wants us to wait.  The firefighters want us to wait. Now, maybe Half Moon Bay will reconsider the cutoff date. Right now, we (PMFire) are takng a parallel course. I will talk with CDF.

Ginny McShane
Vice President and Director
Point Montara Fire Protection District

EDITOR’S NOTE:  I haven’t been covering the Point Montara Fire Protection District on Coastsider, so this letter is missing a lot of context. I have uploaded the report from the San Mateo County Local Area Formation Committee (LAFCO) for additional background. Director McShane’s change of heart on the direction of the District is also examined in a front-page story in the Half Moon Bay Review. There’s a lot more to this, but it’s a beginning. I’m going to start covering this PMFPD more regularly, as it’s one of the biggest issues in the unincorporated Coastside.