Less visible are department services such as the fire prevention bureau, public education, inspections of public assembly and businesses, schools and preparation of hazardous material business plans.The SPFD is also a participating agency with Ventura County Environmental Health, receive and give mutual aid to other fire departments and works with the county on emergency response planning.The SPFD also has detailed lists of about 100 businesses that house chemicals and other potentially dangerous materials.About a dozen years ago, the “council backed the staff suggestion that we be the first response, we know what we have,” at area businesses, although the city does not have a formalized haz-mat response team.Five SPFD personnel are trained in haz-mat incidents, Chief Skeels added, and “we rely heavily on their training and expertise.”
SPFD Chief Skeels asks City Council to staff Station #2
April 18, 2003
Santa Paula City Council
The Santa Paula Fire Department is facing its centennial anniversary and Chief Paul Skeels told the City Council at a recent meeting that he will be asking this year to staff Station #2.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe Santa Paula Fire Department is facing its centennial anniversary and Chief Paul Skeels told the City Council at a recent meeting that he will be asking this year to staff Station #2.“Looking ahead to a safe and prosperous 2003 I want our citizens to be as safe as possible,” noted Chief Skeels. “For the upcoming budget, I hope to develop and implement a plan to staff Station #2.”Station #1 is located on North 10th Street while Station #2 is better located to serve the city’s west side, he noted.The department has five engines, two command vehicles and two support vehicles, said Chief Skeels.The department has 11 full-time personnel, 21 paid-call volunteer firefighters and two volunteer chaplains who “do tremendous amounts of good. . .the chaplains are not out preaching or converting people, they’re on scene helping us with emergency management.”Having a broader full-time staff has kept a “whole host of problems off the fire chiefs and captains that do not put out the fire but have a tremendous impact,” on operations.There are four open positions for paid-call volunteer firefighters: “When bring part-time on, train them and then the good ones are hired away and more power to them,” noted Chief Skeels. “We’ve had to deal with that and it makes it easier for us to hire better part-timers to insist that they have fire academy training. . .so many want to be part-time to get their foot in the door.”
