A Message from Fire Chief Andy Parr
The Lakeside Fire Protection District is nearing our 50th birthday!!!
In 1963 the Fire District changed from a small County Service District to a full-fledged fire protection district formed under the Fire Protection District Act. This change allowed the organization to formalize the service you have now come to expect from us. But as we approach our 50th year we are also faced with profound financial difficulties. The costs for personnel, supplies, insurance and fuel are going up dramatically. At the same time, the tax base of the community is effectively going down.
The fire district board is tackling these issues on a monthly basis - making hard decisions and cutting budgets. It’s a difficult process and we look to our public to support us into the future with some new and innovative strategies that allow us to keep Lakeside safe from fire 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year.
Even with our financial situation our priority is to provide the best vehicles for our firefighters to do their jobs. The district recently received a new fire engine and a new paramedic ambulance. While they are all painted the same, and it’s hard to tell the difference from the new to the old, you can be assured that these new vehicles are state of the art apparatus for our firefighters to use while they serve our citizens.
Fire season never stops in Southern California and the Lakeside and Blossom Valley areas of the District are primed for a fire each year. The community is reminded to complete their defensible space vegetation management work each and every year. We know through our experience that the best way to save your home (and your life) is to create a defensible home environment that can stand alone against a fast moving wildland fire. (It’s also the law).
If you’re interested in helping the district we have opportunities in two areas. Our Reserve Firefighter Program is looking for persons who may wish to be a firefighter; this is our hiring pool for the future. We’re also looking for new LVG’s (our over 50 group). These dedicated community volunteers take care of daily tasks for the district and respond to our larger fires to assist with cold drinks, crew transport, and other non-emergency fire activities.
And finally, The new station 2 is completed and operating well. The district is very proud of our new facility and we thank the community for supporting us in the effort to obtain the money as the Redevelopment Area’s last project.
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