A Message from Fire Chief Andy Parr
Welcome to the Lakeside Fire Protection District website. I hope it provides for you an opportunity to find the information you’re looking for about our organization and its people. (If it doesn’t, email me, and if possible, we’ll get the info on the site in time for your next visit). If you haven’t checked out our incident and information blog, I encourage you to do so. We’re also on Twitter and Facebook, so pick your favorite social media and you’ll likely see us there too. Our recently updated FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section answers most of the questions asked to our staff on a daily basis.
It is said the Fire Service in Southern California has four distinct seasons: Fire, Flood, Earthquake, and Riot. No matter what “season” you find yourself in, your firefighters are on-duty and up to the task. The District spends hours each day in training and readiness exercises to prepare them for the next alarm, whatever that might be. Intermixed with the training, we respond to hundreds of fire calls and our ambulance service transports over 5000 of our citizens to the hospital annually, making our paramedics some of the most experienced around.
Because of the relatively quiet “fire” season of 2010, the number of grass and brush fires we responded to was kept to a minimum; however, it’s just a matter of time before the grass dries out and turns brown (and highly flammable) again. You can contact us to assist you with strategies for completing your Defensible Space requirements any time of the year.
Our goal to prepare ourselves and our community for the next emergency is coming along well. The District Board has recently approved the purchase of a new fire apparatus and a new ambulance as we set aside funds for these purchases years ago to be available even during the poor economy we are in today.
We’re also moving two of our facilities to better serve the community (see more on this inside) and we’ve brought on 12 (unpaid) reserve firefighters to assist our paid staff with their duties in exchange for training and experience in the fire service.
I’d like to encourage you to bookmark our site and check back frequently to see the Lakeside Fire Protection District in action and hear more about our efforts to serve our citizens. I also encourage you to take a CERT class when offered, attend a Board Meeting when you can, and ask questions of your Fire District Staff. We are here; ready, willing and able to help…24 hours a day.
As always, thanks for your continued support of the Lakeside FPD.
Andy Parr, Fire Chief
Lakeside Fire Protection District
619.390.2365
aparr@lakesidefire.com