AgdaPkt 2019-09-23 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.C. - Page 25 of 35 • San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department.58 Since first contacted by the Grand Jury, San Bruno Fire Department added a full-time prevention staff position59 and Redwood City Fire Department retained two contract fire inspectors and is in the process of filling a vacant Deputy Fire Marshal position.60 Two others -- Coastside Fire Protection District (CFPD), and South San Francisco Fire Department (SSFD) -- stated that they need to further assess their prevention staffing needs because of their unique staffing issues.61 Specifically, prevention staff in the SSFD has been tasked with code enforcement for all city code violations. SSFD estimates that general code enforcement (which does not include fire inspections) at times can consume up to 75 percent of prevention staff's time based on code case volume and the complexity of individual code cases. SSFD's general code enforcement responsibility is being transitioned to the city's Public Works Department in 2019. Once that shift in responsibility is completed, SSFD's prevention staffing needs will be assessed.62 With respect to the Coastside Fire Protection District, the Grand Jury learned that positions tasked with conducting inspections and oversight had been left vacant since 2016.63 Following the hiring of a new Fire Marshal, however, officials from CFPD informed the Grand Jury that they intend to re -assess staffing needs, particularly since CFPD's annual inspections have been conducted by consultants rather than fire department personnel since 2017. f. Data on compliance with mandated annual inspection laws The data gathered and analyzed by the Grand Jury on San Mateo County fire departments' compliance with their annual inspection obligations from 2015 through 2018 is set forth in Table 1 below. It paints a mixed picture, showing widespread failures to conduct mandated annual inspections, particularly in the earlier years, with substantial improvements taking place in 2018. As Table 1 shows, the following seven fire departments did not conduct at least 90 percent of the annual mandated inspections as required in all or some of the years from 2015 through 2018: • Coastside Fire Protection District, • Central County Fire Department, • Colma Fire District, 64 58 Grand Jury interviews. 59 Written correspondence. 60 Written correspondence. 61 Grand Jury interviews. 62 Grand Jury interviews and written correspondence. 63 Grand Jury interviews. 64 Colma Fire District was unaware of the public space inspection requirements for condominiums but has now included them on their list of required inspections. Written correspondence and Grand Jury interviews. 2018-2019 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury 11 114