Please do not bury us in bureaucracy.  The upcoming proposal to turn our Fire Protection over to a branch of the State of California known as CAL FIRE is and should be a non-starter.

At no time has the County of Mariposa demonstrated that it is incapable of protecting its citizens in any form of emergency services whether fire, health, police, rescue or general safety of the public.

Not only do we have a well-equipped fire protection department, may I point out we also have trained volunteers and Search and Rescue volunteers, many of whom are capable of performing auxiliary services such as traffic control, life-saving procedures, etc.  To engage the services of a remote organization that must go through many levels of control before reaching decisive action is not an option of benefit to the community. 

As to the reinstatement of a Fire Department that I understand is presently operating under the supervision of our Sheriff, please may I refer you to the City of Sunnyvale, California (Santa Clara County) that has very successfully operated a comprehensive Public Safety Department for well over 50 years that encompasses not just fire and police protection but also all other forms of jurisdiction in law enforcement, citizen safety and emergency response of any kind.  They point to the fact that all personnel within this department are effectively cross-trained so that in event of any catastrophic occurrence, both on-duty and off-duty employees, no matter what their primary function, can be called into action for immediate response. 

We in Mariposa also have the considerable advantage of a trained volunteer force, rarely available elsewhere. 

May I suggest that the County of Mariposa and its Supervisory body first research its own resources in order to make full use of all services immediately available. 

Respectfully submitted:
Lucille Apcar, District IV constituent, Mariposa, Ca.