Against an evening backdrop of the Eddies shrouded in smoke as dozens of fires burned in the North State, the Mount Shasta Fire Protection District board listened to Captain Rick Joyce argue for the purchase of a $13,000 1987 CDF Model 5 fire engine.
Captain Joyce spoke on behalf of Chief Chris Baker, who is currently away with a strike team of Mt. Shasta firefighters assisting in containment efforts in Pondosa. As anyone who has looked at the hazy sky the past weeks knows, this year has been an especially busy one for California firefighters, with 861,000 acres already burned, and a State of Emergency declared in numerous counties at both the state and federal level.
The request for the purchase of the Model 5 engine was added to the agenda since the board’s last meeting and subsquently had not gone through the planning committee. When questioned, Captain Joyce explained that Chief Baker hadn’t heard about the auction of the engine until last month. CDF equipment is put up for auction to fire districts as it becomes available, and Joyce described the possible acquisition of this engine as an opportunity.
“The last one paid for itself two or three times over,” Joyce said. “It gives our firemen a chance to participate, to earn money. It’s a
good incentive to stay in our fire department.”
At first, discussion among the board members focused on the need to fund the completion of MSFPD Station 2.
“We need to look at getting a building before buying a new engine,” director David Libby said. But Captain Joyce explained that the Model 5 engine currently owned by the MSFPD earned roughly $60,000 in Cal Fire contracts in the four weeks it’s been fighting fires outside the district. Also, by owning two 500 gallon Model 5’s, the district will be able to keep its 1,000 gallon engines home when sending equipment to other areas. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the purchase.
In other matters, director Charles McDonald pointed out that Chief Baker has earned more money from his out-of-district assignments than from his salary.
“If he’s off district more than half the month, who’s he really working for?” McDonald asked.
“We don’t pay him what he’s worth,” director Vern Swenson responded. “He has no retirement, no insurance.”
Captain Joyce said that many firefighters supplement their income in this way, and assured the board that either he or Chief Baker is in the district at all times.
The board decided to include anonymous and confidential input from MSFPD officers in its upcoming evaluation of Chief Baker; Captain Joyce reported that nearly all of the district’s hydrants have been checked; and director Santi said after the meeting that the district’s IRS violation will soon be resolved.
“We owe the IRS for back payroll taxes from three or four years ago,” Santi said. “It was an honest bookkeeping error. We’re very hopeful we’ll get out of it without having to pay anything more.”    
The MSFPD responded to 39 calls last month with an average response time of 7 minutes, including calls to McCloud. The next board meeting will be held on Monday, August 4.