Santa Maria's new fire chief faces challenges скачать в хорошем качестве

Santa Maria's new fire chief faces challenges

Santa Maria's new fire chief says he's ready to take command, despite recent budget cuts. Jeff Jones has been the interim fire chief for the last six months. He replaced Frank Ortiz, who retired after twelve years with the city. He says it won't be easy. Jones faces staffing challenges and a three percent budget cut. Jeff Jones joined the Santa Maria Fire Department as a Battalion Chief in 2004. Six years later, he's the city's sixth fire chief. "I don't have the false expectations of 'Gee, when I'm the chief, here's what I want to do.' I think it's a little more realistic," Jones said. His department faces several challenges, mainly finding a way to cover the city's 23 square miles with reduced staff. Right now, his crews respond to about 25 incidents a day. That's more than they can handle. A three percent budget cut hasn't helped either, although the city has slashed other public agencies by six and nine percent. Two new fire stations scheduled to open in the next year and a half could relieve some of the call volume, but that raises another obstacle. "To come up with the approximate $1.6 million a year that's required to staff and operate and put the equipment in the fire station," Jones said. Tough times force the 53 people under his watch to do less with more. "We have really great people who are working hard to make up that difference," Jones said. And firefighters say they're happy with the city's choice. "He understands the workings of our department, the city and the state, so he's a great manager and a great leader," said Battalion Chief Leonard Champion. A leader who hopes his 32 years of experience will help him better serve the community. The chief says the department aims for a five minute response time on all incidents. Currently, they meet that goal about 30 percent of the time. Jones officially begins his new duties on Saturday.