OPINION: In Hemet, end the bashing of Cal Fire
As the city of Hemet grapples with how best to serve the public safety needs of its residents, the men and women of Cal Fire respect its citizens and those elected to represent them. We support our able and brave brothers and sisters in the Hemet Fire Department.
However in recent weeks, Cal Fire has faced misguided and misleading attacks. We cannot sit silently and watch as our agency and our reputation is unfairly tarnished as local politics play out.
More than 100 cities and counties and local districts across California — including 21 of 28 Riverside County cities — have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with our agency for a wide variety of services. San Diego, Napa and Fresno counties and the cities of Coachella, Grass Valley and Palm Desert are just a few.
We have no interest in asserting authority over dedicated local firefighters or seizing control of operations in any local community. But the men and women of Cal Fire do much more than the protection and stewardship of more than 31 million acres of California wildlands. Our firefighters, fire engines, and aircraft respond efficiently and effectively in a personal manner to vulnerable neighbors in a local setting. Our firefighters are vested in our local communities and care deeply about the trust and goodwill they have engendered.
Sadly, these heroes are facing venomous and unwarranted attacks. Hemet residents are being misinformed that their safety will be compromised if the town opts to join dozens of others in California who tap into Cal Fire's considerable resources, talent and experience to provide local emergency services. We are being criticized for the very things that make our organization strong, including helping when disaster strikes across our state while continuing to provide top-notch and cost-effective services to local communities. This is not unique to Cal Fire. Public safety agencies stand with our neighbors to preserve lives, property and security.
There is no emergency, small nor large, that is ever a low priority for Cal Fire.
Local politics are nothing new to Cal Fire. Many California towns have struggled to serve the public in these times of dwindling resources. Bleak budgets, bare bones staffing and politically motivated attacks on public servants' pay and benefits have taken their toll. We believe that Hemet residents' voices must be heard. No decision about a local public agency should ever be made without public input on the safety of the community. Nor should these decisions be based on politically driven attacks and half-truths.
The summer of 2013 will forever be etched in the minds of firefighters and their families. Fires tore through the Western United States, scorching homes and hillsides. Tragedy struck with the sudden deaths of 14 elite young firefighters in Arizona, reminding an entire nation of the unforgiving, volatile beast we face.
Five of the brave men who tragically died in Arizona this summer were California natives. One of them, Christopher MacKenzie, grew up right here in Hemet. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a retired Cal Fire captain in Riverside County. I implore all of those involved in these discussions to honor the memory of this young homegrown hero by focusing on facts, and by coming together to do whatever it takes to keep our public safe.
Ray Martinez is chapter director of the Riverside/Cal Fire chapter.
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