Community News by Tom Harris, Associate Editor…
The Sentinel was in attendance at the May 28 Board of Directors meeting, along with about 20 residents. The primary reason for the Sentinel’s presence (and evidently, for the majority of those in attendance) was the growing concern that the present Mosquito Fire Protection District (MFPD) chief, the acting chief and other various battalion chiefs, in addition to the MFPD board of directors, are ignoring inquiries and requests for community use of our fire station. The public comment segment of the meeting exposed these concerns.
Long-time Mosquito resident and MFPD Support Group volunteer Pat Johnson expressed her support for continued fundraising and social events at the fire station. Pat indicated that the station has been a central part of this community for as long as she can remember. A 40+ years resident who served 15 years as a volunteer fire fighter and a four year term on the MFPD board of directors is Steve Loree. Steve expressed his support for the continued use of Mosquito station for volunteer fundraising and social events which help keep our community in continuous support of MFPD. Another long-time Mosquito resident is Taffy Warner, who has served on the MFPD board of directors. Taffy indicated that the firefighters and district operations have precedence, but is in favor of keeping the tradition of community use of the station as well. Still another long-time resident in favor of a dual use station is Kim Purcell. Kim served on the Swansboro Country Property Owners Association for many years. She is also the current president of the Swansboro Pilots Association (SPA). Under Kim’s leadership, SPA has held the Mosquito Clean-up Day each year which provides dumpsters free of charge to Mosquito residents. The Mosquito fire station is the center for this event. Kim expressed her concern over the lack of a timely response to station use requests.
One 25 year resident and volunteer who is known for his interest in local history is strongly in favor of maintaining community use of the station. He pointed out that the station was built by local volunteers on land donated by private landowners. In addition, whereas fire protection takes overall precedence, previous experience has shown that the station can serve as both with little or no conflict. This resident also expressed his frustration with the lack of a timely response to requests for use of the station, and suggested that the district policy be amended to include a deadline for timely responses.
On another note, D’Ax* president Meredith Blain, asked on behalf of the District Auxiliary board what the community’s expectation should be for responses/approvals from MFPD for facility use. Secondly, speaking on her own behalf, Meredith asked who is signing off on accounts payable and added that she also wished to know who was signing off on payroll. Meredith added that she felt the MFPD board has its hands too deep inside operational work.
“When the leadership grows deaf to the community, the community grows blind to the leadership’s authority.”
– John Maxwell
Most of the attendees at the meeting pointed out that the Mosquito fire station has been in use as a community center as long as it has been a fire station. The fire station is established as a central and integral part of our community. As many Mosquito/Swansboro residents are aware, organizations located in the district use the fire station to hold fund-raising, education and social events. These organizations provide funds for equipment, building maintenance and support for the fire department. They also provide services for our community and maintain a bond among our neighbors. All of this is accomplished through the efforts of volunteers from organizations like the Mosquito Volunteer Fire Association (MVFA), the Mosquito District Auxiliary (D’Ax*), the MFPD Support Group, and the Swansboro Pilots Association (SPA). Isn’t this the very definition of a community center?
MFPD Policy 1108.3 states:
REQUEST OF USE – An organization, group or individual desiring to use the District facilities or grounds must make their request to the Chief using the “Facilities and Grounds Usage Request” form. It is strongly recommended that the request be submitted at least ten (10) calendar days before the proposed usage. The Chief may approve the request providing that the requirements of 1108.4 have been met. Request Limitations (a) (b) (c) While every effort will be made to accommodate any request received, District related activities will take precedence over all other requests. Upon appeal of a denied request, the District’s Board of Directors retains the authority to approve or reject any use request. Supplemental information: In California, the decision to use a local fire department for community activities is a shared responsibility between the Board of Directors and the Fire Chief, with each handling a different level of authority:
The Board of Directors: Policy and Final Authority
The Board serves as the ultimate governing body and “policy-maker”. Approval of Use Policies: The Board has the primary responsibility for approving the overarching plans, procedures and rules that dictate how district facilities can be used
by the public. Final Decision-Maker: If there is a dispute or non-consensus regarding a decision, the Board typically serves as the final authority. California Penal Code Section 326.5.
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