The Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Board of Commissioners approved the fire code as presented at its February meeting. An update regarding the emergency siren alert system was given and a discussion regarding the purchase of a metal vehicle storage building occurred.
Brett Leseberg was awarded 2020 Firefighter of the Year. Nelson Escovar was awarded the 2020 Chiefs Excellence Award and Josh Pereda was awarded 2020 Reserve of the Year.
IMAGE courtesy of IFPD
Fire code
The appeal process is covered in Chapter 1 section 108 including establishing the board of appeals, limitations on authority, request for hearing and its procedures, appeals to the board of directors and fees and costs.
Under Chapter 9 is the following: “Additions to existing buildings. When an addition to an existing structure is (33%) or more of the original square footage ‘and’ the addition area is greater than 1,000 square feet the entire structure shall be provided with an automatic sprinkler system.”
Siren update
A subcontractor will install the siren. The pole has been delivered and should be installed soon.
Fire Chief Mark LaMont said, “With the new subcontractor for Sentry Siren, they put in a request for the pole about two weeks ago and I just got notified today [Feb. 23] that the pole will be delivered here in 10 to 15 days … As soon as the pole arrives, their subcontractor from Denver, Colorado will arrive within a day or two to set the siren on the pole, do all the infrastructure work for that and then set the pole.” By March 15, the siren should be attached to the pole, according to LaMont.
It was reiterated during the meeting that the siren is in partnership with the Fern Valley Water District (FVWD). The water district will be able to use the alert system to notify customers of a potential contamination.
Newly elected Commissioner Christina Reitz asked about the role of Idyllwild Water District (IWD) in the emergency siren system. LaMont stated that IWD decided to not partner with IFPD.
He continued by saying that it would have been nice if IWD partnered and contributed but IFPD would not let the citizens be at risk if there were a contamination. However, IWD will not have access to the siren at its discretion like FVWD.
A monthly test is currently scheduled for 4 p.m. the third Saturday of each month once the siren and pole are installed. The test will last 20 seconds. The district will be working with Mountain Disaster Preparedness to educate the community regarding the siren.
Vehicle storage building
The board discussed the purchase of a metal vehicle storage building. The purpose of purchasing the building, according to LaMont, is to have a place to store the vehicles and reduce vehicle maintenance. LaMont included the Capital Improvement Plan for 2021/25 so the board can see what else the district is looking to purchase.
“What will fit up here is anywhere from a 40 foot or 50-foot-wide to a 90-foot long,” said LaMont. The district went out and priced the units. Empire Steel Buildings, of San Diego, provided a quote for $41,934 for a 40-by-80-by-15’6’. Carport Central, of Mount Airy, provided a quote of $76,965.82 for a 40-by-80-by-16. A concrete foundation will be an additional cost.
