Messina appointed IFPD commissioner, again

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Board of Commissioners appointed Daniel Messina, in a 3-1 vote, to the board. Commissioner Christina Reitz voted to appoint Idyllwild Community Center Board President Stephanie Yost.
In addition to Messina, David Cutter and Yost applied for the vacancy. Messina was first appointed June 30, 2020 to fill the vacancy left by Larry Donahoo, whose seat was up for election in November 2020. Messina was one of three to run for two open board seats in November. Commissioners Christina Reitz (992 votes) and Dennis Fogle (688 votes) were elected. Messina received 671 votes. This current vacancy was left by Ralph Hoetger who sold his home and is moving out of the district.
Messina writes in his application he was a “volunteer firefighter and engineer with the Riverside County Fire Department (Garner Valley Fire Co. 53).” He writes that after the abolishment of the county’s volunteer program in 2011 he “worked with then Idyllwild Fire Chief Norm Walker and Fire Captain Mark LaMont to introduce an opportunity to form what is now known as the Idyllwild Volunteer Fire Company 621. I served as the Idyllwild Volunteer Fire Co. president from 2011 to 2016 and due to scheduling and business priorities, I took a leave of absence in 2017. In addition to the aforementioned and prior to my relocation to the community of Idyllwild, I spent nearly 40 years in the private fire sector providing such services as: water tenders, heavy equipment, communications, logistical support, and other specialty items required of the greater fire service community.”
The board elected Henry Sawicki (formerly the board’s vice president) as its president, Messina as its vice president and Rhonda Andrewson remains the board secretary.
A moment of silence was taken at the beginning of the meeting in honor of former Idyllwild Volunteer Fire Company board member Jim Kutsch, who died May 3.
Clerk of the board and Administrative Assistant Rachel Teeguarden received her emergency medical technician certification.
Siren
A change to the emergency siren alert system test was discussed. The test will now be a one 1-minute long alert. The test will still be conducted at 1 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month. The siren, in an actual emergency, will now be three 3-minute long alerts, instead of the three 30-second alerts.
Resolution 521
Unanimously approved by the board was the FY 2021/22 annual unit fee assessment. The resolution reads: “Whereas, the qualified voters of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District, at a special election on July 21, 1981, by two thirds (2/3) vote, established a standby charge not to exceed sixty-five dollars ($65.00) per unit of benefit per year as authorized by Assembly Bill No. 630; and Whereas, a unit of measure has been established by a square footage for a structure and a half (1/2) unit of measure has been established for vacant property; Now therefore be it resolved that we, the Board of Fire Commissioners, do hereby set the standard per unit measure fee at sixty-five ($65.00) for Fiscal Year 2021/22 (and other unit measure fees as adopted in the approved annual fee assessment.).”
The fee schedule is included with the story.
Evaluation of the fire chief
Board President Henry Sawicki reported no reportable action regarding the closed session evaluation of Chief Mark LaMont.