Southern Division Director Report – Chief Adam Loeser

Southern Area 1:Todd Tuggle, Fire Chief for San Luis Obispo; special thanks to Lompoc Fire Chief Brian Fallon for all of his hard work and communication from Area 1.

Santa Barbara County

• Regional dispatch began in May; ambulance program fell apart, 4yr. contract extension went to AMR; Lompoc FD evaluating an in-house ambulance program to augment system in a non-EOA.

San Luis Obispo County

• Alliance model passed to include 7 cities; WUI Code adoption with new Very High Severity Zone designations in the county are posing to be very challenging; finalizing Tablet Command implementation

Ventura County

• No report

Southern Area 2: Chris Nigg, Fire Chief for La Verne Fire Department

Los Angeles County

• Palisades and Eaton Fires started off the year
  
• UASI funding issue ($20mil hit)

Orange County 

• Tablet Command is the primary dispatch software throughout County; major operational change in fireground emergency radio communications
  
  

Southern Area 3: Nathan Cooke, Deputy Chief for Chino Valley Fire District

San Bernadino County 

• Confire is still awaiting final path forward on amb.ruling & remains optimistic.
  
• Corona FD are engaged w/doctor-based TeleHealth-deployed via FD squad.
  

Inyo County

• No report.

Southern Area 4: Jayson Summers, Fire Chief for Coronado Fire Department

San Diego County

• Implementation of Genysis evacuation program 
  

Imperial County

• Auto-aid pilot program between El Centro FD and Imperial County initiated 
  

Riverside County

• Working through Genysis evacuation program and AMR contract was renewed

Southern Area 5: Kevin Albertson, Fire Chief for Bakersfield Fire Department 

Kern County

• Bakersfield having difficulty recruiting/retaining dispatchers and contending with LRA maps which were new to the City
• Kern County planning implementation of 4-0 staffing of engines; will begin with outer part of county and work inwards.

King/Tulare County

• No report.

Respectfully,

Chief Adam Loeser
Southern Division Director, California Fire Chiefs Association