By TR Robertson
Before the Graduation Reception at the City Council Chambers, the final Vista Leadership Academy presentation was held at Vista Fire Station No. 5 at S. Melrose Drive and Green Oak Road. After a delicious pizza lunch from Two Brothers from Italy, Fire Chief Gerard Washington welcomed the group to the fire station and stressed the importance of people taking part in programs like the Leadership Academy where they can learn more about the city they live in. Chief Washington is a 34-year veteran of working in fire departments and has been the Fire Chief in Vista for the past 2 years, coming to Vista from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He told the group that this is the best fire department and the best city he has ever worked for. The Chief said he is a big proponent of training and after hearing from other members of the Vista Fire Department training has become a daily program in a variety of ways. He also emphasized what a tremendous community Vista is and how much support the city has given him in instituting many of the programs he has started. In the PowerPoint presentation, the Chief went through what all members of the department take part in throughout the year. He said, “Personnel are trained to mitigate fire and medical emergencies as well as emergencies that include structure collapses, high/low angle rescues, hazardous materials, auto extrication, swift water/ice rescues, infectious diseases, civil unrest, weapons of mass destruction, domestic terrorism, active shooters, natural disasters and wildland fires”. He also said the department is committed to serving the community with pride and professionalism.
The Core Values for the Vista Fire Department are Integrity, Professionalism, Courage and Respect for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The department has also built a solid relationship with the Vista Unified School District. The Chief finished his part of the presentation with a little history about the Vista Fire Department. The first Fire Department in Vista was in 1927 and was a volunteer department of 14 individuals referred to as the Vista Fire Protection District. In 1928 the department purchased their first fire truck for $511, a 1911 Seagrave, with money raised from donations and a fireman’s ball. In 1945 fire fighters were first paid by the city. In 1955 a new fire station was opened on Broadway and Citrus. The first paid Fire Chief, Bill Elder, was hired in 1957. Today, there are 6 Fire Stations in Vista and Vista Fire is the only accredited civilian fire department in San Diego County. They cover 38 square miles in the city but also assist other cities in the North County and beyond.
Speaking next was Deputy Chief of Operations Robbie Ford. He also stated training is going on all the time at the six different fire stations. He said there are 56 vehicles in the fleet that respond to between 17-18,000 calls a year. The Deputy Chief said the Dispatch facility for the fire departments is located in Rancho Santa Fe. The fire department uses an Incident Command System to manage calls. He said this program provides safety of correct information and is very efficient in providing quick responses. One of the recent training programs the fire department has been involved in was Wildland Fire Training held in San Marcos. The Deputy Chief said the Vista Fire Department consists of their Fire Chief, 19 Captains, 42 firefighters and paramedics, 18 engineers, 12 EMT’s, and 3 Battalion Chiefs. There are 27 members on duty every shift at the 6 Fire Stations. The personnel work 48 hours on and 96 hours off for a 56-hour work week. The Chief pointed out the typical daily routine that is followed in each of the 6 Vista Fire Stations, saying that the routine can be interrupted at any time with an emergency situation they must respond to. The day begins with checking all apparatus and equipment on each of the fire engines. This is followed by Fire Station maintenance, while breakfast is being prepared by one of the fire personnel. After this there is a captain’s briefing and other necessary communication. Physical training takes place or medical or fire training planned for that particular day. Driver training can also be held. On some days public education or relations is held either at the station or in a designated area. There are days tours are planned at the station. Administrative assignments are always on the days agenda as paperwork is a must after every call. If this wasn’t enough, a call comes in at any moment, stopping what is going on at the fire station and depending on the call, fire engines and paramedics respond immediately. For 2024 the Vista Fire Department completed 27,650 hours of training, 2,256 hours of vegetation management inspections and 1,354 other inspections. In looking at a structure fire the typical response is 2-3 engines, one of which is a ladder truck and one an ambulance. Fifteen fire fighters usually respond to a residential structure fire and 9 additional fire fighters for a commercial fire. Units from several different fire stations may respond and some may be from other cities if they are closer to the incident. To assist with this, the fire department uses AVL Technology Closest Unit for a Multi-Agency Coordination System and Incident Command System. There are 6 regions in the State of California, San Diego is in Region VI and has 4 zones. Vista is in the North Zone.
The next speaker was Battalion Chief Miles Sweeny who spoke about the Training and EMS Division. He said once an individual goes through the recruitment process and is hired there is a series of testing that is done. Once they complete work and graduate from the Academy and are assigned, there is continual probationary testing for one year. Assisting with training for EMS is Roxanne Rauto-Shin and for EMT’s Administrative Captain Brenden Hammes. Some of the other training that goes on throughout the year is Rope Rescue, Engineer Testing, HAZMAT, Confined Space Drills, 66 hours of live fire training and Wellness Physical Fitness Training. Over 27,000 hours of training were put in by Vista Fire Department.
Deputy Chief Administrator Bret Davidson was the final speaker talking about Community Risk Assessment. He said they develop a strategic plan every 5 years. There are 5 inspectors who deal with vegetation management, Fire Prevention, New Construction Inspections, School Education in collaboration with Vista Unified School District, Sidewalk CPR classes and the Community Response Team (CERT). The Deputy Chief encouraged everyone to take part in the Sidewalk CPR classes and sign up for CERT. We also watched a Emergency Medical Response to a potential cardiac event with one of the fire fighters playing the part of the victim. There were 5 members to the Response Team, each one with a specific job to do to assess the situation, provide assistance, assist in administering medicine, secure the victim and bring in gurney for transport to a hospital. One of the team members worked on an iPad to record all the information that was occurring. The Fire truck and paramedic unit worked hand in hand together.
Moving outside, our group was divided into two sections to take part in a tour of the Fire House and Fire Extinguisher Education. For the Fire Extinguisher Education, we learned about the two most common household or business fire extinguishers, pressurized water canisters and powder. For grease fires in kitchens, it is best to use powder if you can’t cover the item on fire or have a fire blanket to cover the item. Volunteers (Sergio, Evan, Pricilla and myself) got a chance to Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep (PASS) to put out a controlled fire. Our tour of the Fire House was led by Captain Frank Wirtz. Captain Wirtz showed us the newest version of the “Jaws of Life” then walked us down the side of one of the fire engines to show us all of the equipment, apparatus and attachments the fire department has on the fire engine to make sure they have as much as they will possibly need for an emergency. We also looked into the back of one of the electric paramedic ambulances. Moving from the “garage” area we walked through the large kitchen and saw the relaxation room with comfortable recliners, a large TV complete with video game set-ups and a small library. Going down the hallway we looked into the tiny sleeping accommodations that provide needed rest when possible. Captain Wirtz said there are days when one call after another occurs and sometimes in the evenings multiple late calls can occur one right after another. One room we didn’t go in was on the other side of the garage and is the work-out room complete with treadmill, weights, and other exercise equipment.
For more information about the Vista Fire Department go to www.vista.gov/department/fire-department and for information about becoming a firefighter/paramedic with the Vista Fire Department go to www.vistafirejobs.com.
