OCFA’s Bait and Deceive
Several months back, the Fullerton Firefighters’ Association stormed City Hall and demanded the City Council solicit proposals from the Orange County Fire Authority. Perpetually greedy and feeling entitled to more and more, the union knows OCFA has deeper pockets than Fullerton will ever have.
Details of that proposal are now available:
OCFA_Fullertonhttps://www.fullertonsfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/OCFA_Fullerton.pdf
True to form, OCFA wasted no time in being the slimy car salesman promising more for less. In the smallest typeface they could possibly use, they say it “Excludes one-time startup costs and City’s Annual UAAL Payment to PERS.”
This means the nearly $5.8 million in “savings” to Fullerton is not real. Fullerton will remain on the hook for millions of dollars in unfunded UAAL pension liability each and every year AFTER the firefighters have left and joined OCFA.
So what did they promise Fullerton?
The conversion of Truck 6 to a paramedic truck, and the conversion of Engine 3 to a Paramedic Truck 3. The latter is somewhat comical because Fullerton doesn’t have a Truck that will fit inside Station 3. Fullerton already tried putting their lone Truck at Station 3 and had to store it outdoors. Whether OCFA would bring in a smaller Truck or force Fullerton to remodel Station 3 is unknown.
These things don’t really matter because OCFA has likely underestimated the true cost to the tune of seven figures. The sad and scary part is the likes of Silva and Zahra on the City Council will probably fall for this proposal hook, line and sinker.
These OCFA proposals are always such a joke. They always come in low and offer some upfront savings but turn around jack up their rates year after year. They would have you believe that 4.5% is the most they would increase the rates in a single year but in reality they have a banking provision in the JPA agreement that allows them to bank any percentage above 4.5 percent for use in a future fiscal year. And how can they make the assumption that the Fullerton Fire Department’s budget will grow by 8 percent a year over the next five years? Fullerton is broke and slashing its budget. OCFA is free to ratchet up its costs year after year after year after year with zero change or improvements in service levels.
The UAL for the Fullerton firefighters, past and present, is a real cost and a sizable one. That has to be paid and that cost is added to OCFA’s annual bill. Oh, and if that weren’t enough Fullerton would then be on the hook for OCFA’s pension UAL going forward!! You’re literally doubling down on the pension debt! Has anyone at the City bothered to call CalPERS to ask them for the current dollar amount for the firefighter UAL?
Garden Grove asked those questions yet they’re far and away paying more today to OCFA than they did when they had their own fire department. Cities don’t get rid of their fire departments and go to county because they’re going to save money. They do it to get rid of the petulant, whining crybabies they employ as firefighters. The fire union in Garden Grove created such a toxic environment that the city council finally grew tired of the fire union’s nonsense threw up its hands and begged OCFA to take those idiots away. They sold out their community’s financial future just to be rid of petulant firewhiners.
And that’s exactly what’s happening here. Watch over the next few months as the Fullerton Fire Union steps up their antics and pressure on the city council to consider the OCFA proposal. The union wants nothing more than to go to OCFA because to be an employee of OCFA is to hold a winning lottery ticket – a license to print money for the rest of your life.
If Fullerton were truly serious about reforming its malfunctioning fire department it would request a proposal from Placentia for fire services and a proposal for paramedic services from Lynch EMS. Fullerton wouldn’t have to accrue new pension debt with Placentia as their firefighters are pension-free and their paramedic services cost a fraction of what Fullerton currently spends and what OCFA will charge for lesser quality service.
Great comment
Thanks for sharing
But Fullerton is *never* serious about reform, efficiency or what is truly best for the community — without bias, ideology or political motive.
Neither is the entire California fire service.
When will we know if Fullerton will accept the proposal. They should ask for 2 more bids. How do they know if another agency can give a better bid.
Dunno…but the fire union goons just posted on their Facebook page a call to arms in the community to support the City contracting with OCFA. Let the games begin….
But to answer your question, Fullerton has options. They could very easily solicit proposals for 911/ALS paramedic services from the private sector saving the City millions of dollars every year. The City could even keep the same tired old hose yanking douchebags on the payroll to put out the occasional fire.
LaHabra went to LA County Fire instead of OCFA. Is any person in authority in Fullerton requesting details of LaHabra’s experience with LAC? maybe it’s a better deal, who knows?
or
perhaps create Placentia’s Paramedic type model
It’s Fullerton, Jake.
Anonymous…. No name, no credibility!!
Doesn’t take a smart man to realize this proposal is a scam.
The firefighters get more from OCFA while Fullerton saves over $5 mil a year? Of course that’s nonsense.
Good thing too because there aren’t any smart people on the Fullerton City Council or staff.
Where is the city manager’s analysis? Shouldn’t he be pointing this out to the idiots on the council? Who is in charge here?
Didn’t these jerk-offs try to get US to pay for THEIR proposal?
Here’s a thought: JPA with Brea AND Placentia and get out of the paramedic business completely. No more unnecessary field trips to St. Jude’s.
Oh, yeah. And have Amazon deliver the ingredients for the firehouse chili. No more unnecessary runs to the store for groceries.
And no more Baracaloungers either.
Lying firefighter union thug “heroes” lie to try and increase their wealth and comfort at the expense of the communities they serve. What else is new?
Wow, what a rotten choice.
We need to get rid of Silva and Zahra. Fullerton has no need to these types of Council members. The citizens of Fullerton deserve better.
PS. Our Fire Chief need to be fired..
https://youtu.be/EmC26RuO26g
Well done! Thoroughly enjoyed that.
Could somebody tell us how many structure fires there are every year in Fullerton? I bet even if every structure was a total loss, the total value would not exceed the annual cost of the hose pullers.
Volunteer FD is a better and more cost effective solution.
But who will cook the steaks?
The formula is simple – contract out the 80% of the workload which is EMS to the private sector and save millions every year. You could even keep the same hose yanking imbeciles on the payroll to put out the occasional fire and still save more money every year than what the OCFA Cartel is offering for openers.
The city should not consider the OCFA proposal without getting one from Placentia.
Eye spy with my little eye the fire union goons starting to throw a tantrum in the corner of the room!!! I see they’ve taken to social media once again to agitate to be sold off to the OCFA cartel.
If anyone is serious about truly reforming the fire department they ought to ask Placentia for a proposal to contract for fire and EMS if they’re going to consider alternatives. Want a good laugh? Ask OCFA to compare their response times and patient outcomes with private paramedics and see how fast they shit their turnouts.
Yep, they passed around the collection plate in the fire stations because their paid advertisement on FB asking to be traded is clogging up my newsfeed. The solution to these petulant crybabies is simple: Convert the fire department to a basic life support department, contract paramedic service to the private sector and whatever Fullerton firewhiners are left are always free to seek employment opportunities elsewhere. The city will save millions and if the firewhiners don’t like it, they can go fuck themselves. Their greed is bankrupting our town.
Big night for the Fire “Heroes” Tuesday night. The long-awaited report on the status of fire services is being presented for public consumption. Unfortunately, the report’s solution is to simply throw good money after bad. Either pay the already over-paid hose yankers more, or hire the OCFA at vastly inflated rates and waste even more money every year.
The report would have done a better service to the community had it studied alternate service models such as Placentia’s which provides for lightning fast response times, superior care and service at a vastly reduced cost. If Fullerton’s elected leaders are serious about saving their services they ought to look at different ways to deliver those services. Placentia has shown the way.
Funny, they schedule such an important discussion the day after a long holiday weekend. Eek! The firefighters will have to come home early from their vacation homes at the river in order to fill the chambers as tough-looking fellows there to threaten and intimidate elected officials.
Interesting story in today’s Voice of OC about what a complete shit show the OCFA has become. And these are the “heroes” who want to come save you from yourselves! I’m sure it will be an interesting meeting tonight – the chambers will be packed deep with fire Union goons.
https://voiceofoc.org/2022/09/is-orange-countys-fire-authority-on-fire/
Thanks for this. What was decided at last nights meeting?