It's been five months since the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department took over ambulance service after concerns over slow response times. But whether that agreement will continue is one of the critical decisions that will be made by San Diego’s next fire chief.
The issue was one of the key concerns for some of the people who attended city of San Diego’s input meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center to help find the next fire chief.
One of the attendees was Southeast San Diego resident Sarah Pretanvil, who works in the healthcare industry.
“I serve the patients. I see the socioeconomic and social determinants of health, so it's super important to me that all of our communities that are really suffering have emergency medical services that are going to be responsive to what our needs are," Pretanvil said.
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Current Chief Colin Stowell is retiring after 34 years of public service, which includes nearly six years as San Diego’s fire chief. The city of San Diego has launched a nationwide search for his replacement.
The process includes two community meetings to get input.
Ken Malborough, a retired firefighter, also attended.
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"I want to make sure that we have a chief that understands the community that I live in, not just this community, but every community within the city of San Diego,” Malborough said. “A lot of times, this community gets left out of things. If there's an incident on the other side of town, we lose those resources, and I want to ensure that we still will always have that when you dial 911."
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Alia Khouri says the feedback from surveys that can be taken online will be used in the interview process.
“Having this information is just a supplement to prioritizing what the community wants,” Khouri said.
Other issues the next chief will have to solve include recruitment and retention — something San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said would be key to his nomination. That's because a firefighter shortage is being blamed for soaring overtime costs.
"I think staffing, as a whole, needs to be fixed,” resident Tara Welborne said. “Whether it is salary adjustments, whether it's recruitment, bonuses, you know, these are people that are putting their lives on the line."
The salary range is listed from $300,000 to $325,000. The mayor plans to have someone appointed by June and approved by the council in July, so they can be in place when Stowell retires in August.
The next community meeting is on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Kearny Mesa Recreation Center. If you can’t make it, there’s a survey you can take online here.
