Rancho Santa Fe Professional Firefighters

What's New at IAFF 4349

2011 Pancake Breakfast

Posted On: Dec 12, 2011 (10:08:32)

The sounds of children laughing filled the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District’s Fire Station 1 on October 16^th, 2011 as the Annual Pancake Breakfast was in full swing. Parents and children were served the usual pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee and juice to start the morning. Firefighters directed station tours, engine tours, jump house play, and, the new addition to the event, a hose squirting prop where young firefighters in training aimed their hose lines to extinguish the simulated blaze. About $3000 was raised from the event that will be made available for charitable organizations as always. A special thanks goes out to the Village Market of Rancho Santa Fe, Café Positano, Premier Signs, the Palomar College Fire Club, and the National Charity League for their generous donations of food, coffee, signage, and man power.

RSFFA Antique Engine Restoration

Updated On: Oct 25, 2011 (10:13:00)

The Rancho Santa Fe Professional Firefighters Association is currently in the process of restoring a 1954 Ahrens Fox fire engine that was donated to us. Our dream is to have the engine repainted, the equipment restored to its’ original luster, and to mount seats in its hose bed for fire engine rides. There are even plans of mounting a slide out BBQ grill out the back to cook hot dogs and hamburgers for the local community. Firefighters have been putting in countless hours it its preparation for painting. If you are interested in donating to this cause, please contact the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation at 858-756-6557 or www.rsffoundation.org.

A Night of Hope 9/11 Memorial

Updated On: Oct 25, 2011 (09:35:00)

The 10 year anniversary of 9/11 was commemorated by Rancho Santa Fe Firefighters Local 4349 in conjunction with Horizon Christian Fellowship in a “Night of Hope” ceremony. Music by The Mike Clark Band, The Katinas, and Crystal Lewis reverberated through a crowd of around 3000 at the site of the Horizon church and the temporary Rancho Santa Fe fire station in Fairbanks Ranch. The night included prayer, a message of hope by Horizon’s Sr. Pastor, bagpipes played by Local 4349 firefighter Dave McQuead, and a special dedication of a FDNY plaque to honor the 343 firefighters that lost their lives on that fateful day. This plaque will hang on the wall at the new Fairbanks Ranch fire station upon its completion and will be situated in such a manner that each firefighter will pass by it on the way to the engine when responding to emergencies reminding us to be vigilant and brave during the next call to duty. A dim light will, in the spirit of the eternal flame, illuminate the plaque 24 hours a day to display the truth that “We will never forget” the events of 9/11. Local 4349 would like to give special thanks to Sr. Pastor Bob Botsford, Horizon Christian Fellowship, and all of those who attended for the chance to honor our fallen brethren.

New RSF Fire Station 3 Rises Up

Updated On: Jan 09, 2012 (21:57:00)

01/10/12

Construction is moving along on the new Rancho Santa Fe fire station # 3 in Fairbanks Ranch on El Apajo Road. The current temporary fire station is located behind the Horizon Christian Fellowship church accross the street. Current completion date looks like ... ??? Who knows

Compare Apples to Apples

Updated On: Sep 19, 2011 (15:57:00)

Are state and local public-sector workers, such as Firefighters, compensated more than the private-sector workers? If you watch the news you may have noticed many public officials stating this as fact.

"It used to be that public employees were underpaid and over-benefited. Now they are over-benefited and overpaid compared to their private-sector counterparts."

Governor Time Pawlenty of Minnesota

"Average government workers are now making $30,000 a year more that the average private-sector worker."

Former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts

"Almost every study says [government employee compensation levels] are between 17 and 24% higher. So we have to reflect the people we work for."

Mike Bouchard, Candidate for governor in Michigan

Although these statistics sound convincing, no evidence has shown these statements to be true. To the contrary, a study by the Economic Policy Institute in September 2010 showed that the myth of the overcompensated public employee is just that, a myth. This briefing paper actually shows that the public-sector employee is undercompensated by 3.7% in comparison to otherwise similar private-sector employees. While certain public officials point out lavish pensions and health insurance benefits for the public worker, what they fail to mention is a true comparison of the total compensation among these two classes. The EPI study, whose findings have been replicated in two other studies (Schmitt 2010; Bender and Heywood 2010), takes into effect education, experience, hours of work, defined benefit pensions, health insurance, time off accrual, and organizational size. For example, regarding the most important factor in determining earnings; educational level, Firefighters get paid on average 2% less; Fire Captains 6% less; and Fire Chiefs 32% less than private-sector workers with the same level of education. To read the entire study, click on the link below.

www.employmentpolicy.org/sites/www.employmentpolicy.org/files/Debunking%20the%20Myth.pdf

Calls for Pension Reform

Updated On: Sep 19, 2011 (15:57:00)

It’s hard to watch the news today without hearing some talk of states and cities being out of money. Local governments are laying off public workers at an alarming rate. In particular, the subject of firefighter pension reform is a band wagon that many have jumped onto in order to establish a blame for state and city budget short falls. Just the other day a colleague told me of a bumper sticker reading “Watch out for the thieves in the big red truck.” Up and coming politicians have used a strong stance on public employee pension reform as a launch pad for their campaigns, when, in a sly backhanded way that only a politician can do, they have begun to successfully divert the blame of budget failures from themselves onto someone else.

Statistics of private sector job pay compared to public sector job pay are all over the news. Talk of outrageous benefit packages for public employees seem to top the difference. While some of those skewed statistics hold true, little is discussed on the reason. When the economy is strong and pay, including benefits, is through the roof in the private sector, the public employee is left trudging along a slow but steady path. On the other hand, when the economy takes a dive and jobs are scarce, the public employee comes out shining brighter than all. This is no different than your 401K assets being placed into a high risk but potentially high yielding account, or instead placed into low risk bonds with a guaranteed rate of return. Public employees have chosen their profession for stability and this holds true for firefighters also.

With that being said, the political agenda game of “Pass the Blame” is being played in many local agencies. The way pensions like California Public Employee Retirement system works is simple. The employee contributes a percentage of their pay to the pension system and the employer contributes additional. That money earns modest returns and retirees are paid. Simple enough until politicians get their hands in on it. During the last economic boom, Cal PERS rate of return on their investments was as high as 17%. Local agencies saw this as a chance to “Not make contribution payments” and earmark that money for other projects because the extra money made on returns made the payment for them. While this common practice was acceptable for short term, the problem arose when those record returns no longer made the payment and states or cities had to again contribute. Many cities overlooked this fact and soon found themselves in the red blaming the pension systems they defaulted on. If the payments continued during the boom, or were commenced after the boom, pension reform would not be an issue.

So, how does Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District match up amongst the statewide budget problems? The status of out fire district remains in the black. The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Board has been on top of pension payments by noticing a deficit early and adjusting payments accordingly. Now, as the Cal PERS system demands more money, RSF firefighters and the District have made concessions to combat this problem. Fire supression personel have not received a raise for years. As the cost of living, healthcare and fuel is on the rise, firefighters continue to make sacrifices to stay employed serving our community.

With talk of layoffs and decreasing the public sector workforce, I urge you to not blame your public safety employees, which you rely on to keep you safe, for the current budget woes. We already do the most we can for what we are allotted. We staff each fire engine with one less firefighter than the national standard suggests. We constantly train to hone our skills to be proficient during your emergency. We are the few that put ourselves in harm’s way for you when you call 911. We will continue to come to your aid in a timely effective manner. All we ask for in return is your continued support and full understanding of the true issues at hand and not fall for the smoke and mirror tactics of pension reform touting politicians.

4S Ranch Spagetti Dinner

Updated On: Sep 19, 2011 (15:52:00)

The Rancho Santa Fe Firefighters Local 4349 in conjunction with the RSFFPD hosted a spaghetti dinner and live demonstrations for the 4S Ranch community. In addition to a hearty helping of a firehouse favorite, RSF firefighters were on hand to demonstrate skills in Auto Fire / Extrication and Rescue Rappelling from the training tower. Our antique fire engine that we are currently restoring was on display along with RSF Firefighter merchandise for sale. A portion of the proceeds will go to support local charities.

Easter in 4S Ranch

Updated On: Sep 19, 2011 (15:53:00)

Local 4349 members volunteer to cook pancakes for the 2011 4S Ranch Easter Egg Hunt. Families of candy crazed children first ate pancakes, orange juice, coffee, and enjoyed the jump houses before being released onto the park's fields to gather the goodies. A fun time was had by all.

New Scott BA's for RSF

Updated On: Sep 19, 2011 (15:53:00)

Rancho Santa Fe acquires new self contained breathing apparatus through a federal grant to replace outdated packs. The new BA’s, manufactured by Scott, are the newest NXG7 model and include features like quick connect bottles, emergency buddy breathing capabilities, and LED heads up displays that provide an instant readout of remaining air level. The Rancho Santa Fe Fire District has always been on the leading end of technology in order to provide the community it serves with the most efficient equipment and the highest trained personnel possible.

Consolidated Efforts Expand

Updated On: Sep 19, 2011 (15:54:00)

With the Cooperative Management Services Agreement just one year old, the local fire agencies of Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach and Del Mar have agreed once again to amend the contract by consolidating efforts even further. The Consolidation Governance Board, comprised of two publicly elected representatives from each participating agency, has found that with recent administrated vacancies, now is the time to take advantage of this historic opportunity and further the current consolidation efforts. Beginning this month, overseeing all four agencies, Darrin Ward of Encinitas Fire will become the Operations Chief; Scott Henry of Encinitas Fire will serve as Administrative Chief; Bret Davidson of Rancho Santa Fe Fire will take on the duties of Training Chief; and Dismas Abelman of Solana Beach Fire will be placed into a Support Services position. All have been assigned new areas of responsibilities and are eager to get started. This new step toward consolidation will bring increased administrative efficiency among the agencies as well as a well timed financial benefit.