Citing a dramatic increase in its CalPERS retirement benefits for the coming year, the Coastside Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be voting in January to potentially do away with a deputy fire marshal position. It would be replaced with a third-party contractor.
The district currently relies on two deputy fire marshals in addition to a fire marshal, explained Board President Gary Burke. One is currently employed through Cal Fire — the state fire agency that has operated Coastside fire services since 2013. The second was a former Cal Fire firefighter who the district now contracts through a private company.
An annual retirement contract report released in 2015 “indicates the district will realize significant increases to … annual employer costs,” states a recent staff report. “Upon examining cost control options, staff recommends eliminating/defunding the full-time deputy fire marshal position from the contract and outsourcing the services to one of the three fire inspection and planning providers currently under contract with the district.”
According to the report, the CalPERS costs are expected to rise from $488,212 in the 2016-2017 year to $901,171 the following year.
By eliminating the full-time deputy fire marshal position, the district could save about $178,000, officials say.
Burke stresses that the proposed cut should not bring in any safety concerns. If the board decides to go forward with the change, the contracted deputy fire marshal would be expected to work the same hours as the full-time employee currently does, if not more.
“We are current on the number of inspections,” Burke said.
The item initially occurred on the agenda for the fire board’s December meeting, but Burke said he continued it to January because some board members had questions and he wanted to give people more time to look at it.
Burke added that quite a few Coastside Fire Protection district positions are contracted to private companies, from laundry service to those who answer the phones. In addition to cost savings, Burke says contracting to private companies prevents the district from having to be involved in the employee training and can protect the district from potential litigation.
The anticipated increase is expected to exceed expenditures set by the board in 2014 and additional cost savings beyond eliminating this position will need to be considered, according to the staff report.
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