Survey concerns
EDITOR: To the Healdsburg City Council: I am writing today concerning the language that continues to be published with the survey for the Measure V funds. For the past several years the survey has stated that: “The City’s Police and Fire Department staffing levels are currently at the appropriate level for minimum staffing for our City.”
I have remained silent for the past few years when I see that language, hoping that something will change. I need to speak up now. The city does not have appropriate staffing for the fire department. It is wrong and misleading for the city council to continue to send that statement out to the citizens of this city. The public needs to know an accurate picture of what the staffing is and what it should be, not be presented with language that is not factual.
When you state that police and fire are appropriately staffed, why would anyone reading the survey put any amount in the box next to public safety? If the city is telling them that they are appropriately staffed they will probably put the funding suggestions elsewhere.
In your own report adopted and approved by the city council in 2009 and 2010 it references a study done in 1989 that states that the city would need a minimum of six to eight additional full-time firefighters by 2015 based on a call volume of 1,471 calls. As of 2007 the call volume exceeded that number and in 2017 was over 1,825 calls for service.
Around 2011 division chief Steve Adams was promoted to fire chief. Due to the impact of revenue from the economy that position is still vacant today.
My primary concern for communicating with you is the language in the survey. I feel strongly that the council needs to be aware of their own studies and what they have approved and adopted as it relates to appropriate staffing for the fire department. What has been approved and adopted by council needs to be captured in any survey language that is sent out to the public.
Vern Losh
Healdsburg
