Shasta County Municipal Code Ch. 2.32 County Fire Warden

There is in Shasta County government the office of county fire warden.

(Prior code § 400)

The county fire warden shall perform the duties prescribed by state law for county fire wardens generally and by the provisions of this code and as the board of supervisors may otherwise provide. The fire warden shall manage and administer the functions and duties of the county fire department.

(Prior code § 401)

The fire warden is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the board of supervisors. However, if the duties of the county fire department are performed by the California Department of Forestry pursuant to a contract between the county and the department, rather than through county employment, the ranger-in-charge of the Shasta-Trinity Ranger Unit shall serve as the fire warden during the term of the contract, unless the county and the Department of Forestry agree that some other person shall serve as fire warden.

(Prior code § 402)

A. The Shasta County fire department is a county department organized under the county fire warden for the administration of county services area No. 1.

B. The department's jurisdiction shall, therefore, extend to all unincorporated areas of the county except those served by fire protection districts (Health & Safety Code 13800, etc.) or community services districts authorized to provide fire suppression services. (Government Code Section 6100 et seq.)

C. The county fire department shall consist of paid and volunteer personnel, including those employed under contract pursuant to Section 2.32.030 or pursuant to an approved job classification.

(Ord. 93-10 § 1, 1993)

The mission of the department shall be to protect life, property and the environment within the department's jurisdiction utilizing properly trained and equipped personnel. This mission shall include, to the extent feasible, structural and vegetation fire control, first-response medical care and mutual assistance to other cooperating agencies.

(Ord. 93-10 § 2, 1993)

The goals of the department shall be:

A. To provide professional fire control, fire prevention, and first-response medical aid service;

B. To reduce the adverse personal and financial impacts caused by fire and medical emergencies;

C. To encourage and develop, in concert with other public and quasi-public fire protection entities, an integrated emergency response system within CSA No. 1 and throughout the county consisting of qualified career and volunteer personnel.

(Ord. 93-10 § 3, 1993)

The established department goals shall be supported by the following objectives:

A. The department shall be guided by a long-range master plan approved and modified periodically, as appropriate, by the board of supervisors and short-range plans consistent with general policy direction from the board of supervisors following fire warden recommendations, that are responsive to changing community and county-wide emergency services needs.

B. All department planning, and implementation thereof, shall proceed under the fire warden's direction with appropriate consideration of current and projected future resource constraints.

C. The department shall have a clearly defined chain of command based on a traditional fire service organization, as determined by the board of supervisors. The approved department organization shall delineate all divisions, battalions and support functions within the department, including the supervisory relationships of division chiefs, battalion chiefs, volunteer chiefs and other department personnel, whether paid or volunteer.

D. The department shall have a current policy and procedures manual which will address and delineate all aspects of an employee's authority, duties and responsibilities within the department. This shall include but not be limited to organization, operation, membership and other aspects specific to paid and volunteer personnel, including volunteers employed by the county for purposes beyond mere provision of workers' compensation insurance (Labor Code Section 3361), to be more specifically defined in a "county volunteer firefighter" job classification to be approved by the board of supervisors.

E. The department shall have a training program that will ensure that minimum performance standards are achieved and maintained. The program will provide an opportunity for career and volunteer personnel to enhance their ability to perform in positions of increasing responsibility and/or technical complexity within the department and will promote uniformity of response services between the county and other fire agencies providing mutual aid.

F. The department shall have a system to monitor fire causes with emphasis on and to promote enhanced fire prevention. Additionally, the department shall review all new building and subdivision plans, and other development applications within its jurisdiction, to assure that the current adopted version of the Uniform Building Code (UBC), Uniform Fire Code (UFC) and state and county fire safe standards are adhered to.

G. The department shall maintain or participate in a communications system that will allow dispatching and coordinating of emergency personnel and equipment within county service area No. 1 and for other emergency response agencies as may be provided by contract.

(Ord. 93-10 § 4, 1993)

The fire warden may negotiate and recommend to the board of supervisors for approval, the mutual aid, automatic aid and assistance-by-hire agreements with other fire protection entities within the county as may be necessary or desirable to implement a comprehensive county-wide fire response network.

Alternatively, the fire warden may negotiate and recommend to the county executive officer for approval, the mutual aid, automatic aid and assistance-by-hire-agreements with other fire protection entities within the county as may be necessary or desirable to implement a comprehensive county-wide fire response network so long as the proposed agreement complies with the requirements set forth in Shasta County Contracts Manual (Administrative Policy 6-101), as currently written and as may hereafter be amended, and such other applicable contracting policies established by formal action of the board of supervisors.

(Ord. 93-10 § 5, 1993)

(Ord. No. 2012-05, § 1, 7-17-2012)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2012-05, § 1, adopted July 17, 2012, retitled § 2.32.08 from "Mutual aid agreements" to "Mutual aid/automatic aid/assistance-by-hire agreements."