Loma Linda considers fire department issues tonight
LOMA LINDA -- A City Council committee is expected to recommend tonight that Loma Linda keep its 27-man independent fire department and hire a deputy chief to run it.
The City Council will take up the recommendation at its 7 p.m. meeting. City Manager Dennis Halloway said he expects to name the deputy chief on Wednesday.
The recommendation to keep the department follows a study proposed by Redlands Fire Chief James Drabinski last year when he was doubling as Loma Linda's interim fire chief. He suggested merging the two departments and the city considered potential mergers with neighboring Colton and San Bernardino County.
In addition to the deputy chief, the committee is expected to recommend hiring two battalion chiefs for the Loma Linda department.
In a separate action, the council will consider contracting with Colton for its fire chief, Tom Hendrix, to mentor Loma Linda's deputy chief until a decision is made on whether to make the deputy Loma Linda's permanent chief. If that happens, Halloway said, the deputy chief position could be eliminated.
—Darrell R. Santschi
dsantschi@PE.com