Boise Guardian » Emergency Service

When Lawyers Disagree Citizens Pay

dave — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:44:39 +0000

The efforts of the GUARDIAN to pay for a 99 year lease on behalf of the North Ada County Fire and Rescue district were rejected by the Ada Commishes.

Last month we presented a $99 check to Chairman Rick Yzaguirre on behalf of NACFAR for a lease from Ada County for the land under station #16 on Glenwood. In a letter to GUARDIAN editor Dave Frazier, the Commishes claimed: “The ballot question does more than authorize the $1 annual lease payment. The ballot question authorizes the fire district to enter into a long term obligation including paying for such things as water, power, sewer, property and liability insurance, maintenance, repairs and replacements.”

Really? If so, NACFAR voters are getting scammed. We have a copy of the ballot and NONE of the items identified as “liabilities and obligations” are even hinted at on the ballot question. Also none of those items would fall into the category of “long term” obligations. Each is a simple annual expense.

The Ballot says: “Shall the board of commissioners of the North Ada County Fire & Rescue District be authorized to lease the property for fire station16, located at 5800 Glenwood, Boise from Ada County, Idaho for ninety-nine years at a lease fee of one dollar ($1) per year?”

We also have a copy of the letter from NACFARs attorney to the Ada county attorney which asserts there is no need for voters to approve a $99 year lease.

The reason this issue is important to voters is we fear it is an attempt to further erode the constitutional requirement to seek voter approval for long term debt. Legislators next year could easily be swayed by the argument, “it was necessary to have an election for a trivial $99 agreement.”

Either the county is overstating the issue or voters are being deprived of the true intent of the vote. (We see it as an overstatement). Meanwhile the vote will cost an extra $1200 for the complex ballots due to diverse residency among 13 precints.

Metal Dragging On Pavement Suspected Fire Cause

dave — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:50:09 +0000

This Boise FD brush rig is dwarfed by flames as firefighters battled Wednesday's blaze.

Metal hanging off a truck dragging on the pavement off South Cole Road is the suspected cause of multiple wildfires which erupted early Wednesday afternoon, sparking a multiple alarm response from firefighters.

For the second time in two years Boise and BLM crews battled the wildfire in the same area to protect home under a contract with the Whitney Fire District. The initial response crews were able to contain most of the fire, but by the time it was over more than a dozen engines, a ladder truck, bulldozer, and assorted command vehicles were at the scene.

The GUARDIAN has been critical in the past about the risks created when expensive homes are constructed in areas subject to wildfire.

City Pays Union Firefighters To FILL THE BOOT

What Citizens And Candidates Should Know

dave — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:10:24 +0000

Each election cycle, the GUARDIAN tries to stimulate interest in the local Boise City election with a posting about issues, budget, etc. Here is the current attempt–10 days before the filing deadline for council and mayor races.

Issues of concern to candidates and citizens alike:

–Fire department has taken over the North Ada County Fire district, absorbed their firefighters on the city payroll, but closed a station and gets about $1 million less than promised at the start of the contract.

–Transit station is set for downtown with no assurance the property owner will sell. Is this the place for a parking garage and bus station? How about building the facility at Eagle Road and the freeway to keep cars out of downtown?

–Hawks Stadium. Do these ball players need a “state of the art clubhouse” and new stadium at taxpayer expense?

–Should the city be in the business of “attracting business” when in the past the biggest issue was growth?

–Trolley will cost millions and be used by few. Why no major investment or push for a decent bus system?

–City has spent many thousands on PR programs aimed at influencing public opinion. F-35, numerous surveys, trolley study, the constitutional amendments, ball park. Are these all needed?

–Should the city continue to use a 500 person telephone marketing survey to set buget priorities when the results are always in favor of police, fire, transit, and parks?

–Depot is closed to the public and has been for at least 8 years. Would you open it to the public daily in the summer and on weekends during off season?

–State historical society has done some improvements to Table Rock Vista Point. Would you favor partnering with the state to increase the access to this spectacular view of the city and valley?

–CCDC owns much of downtown Boise and acts as an “Independent Body Corporate and Politic” apart from city government. Property taxes on improvements and appreciation within their districts goes to this private agency and is diverted from the city revenue stream for police, fire, schools, etc. Would you continue and expand this unregulated authority?

–Boise PD has 310 sworn coppers with a total staff of 388. They have 317 vehicles and a $48,000,000 budget.

–Police offricers drive about 150 cars home every day…most of them are unmarked. There are coppers with the rank of patrolman making as much as $139,000 thanks to overtime and many coppers earn in excess of $100,000. One who just involuntarily left the force was making $120,000.

–Boise Fire has 251 firefighters in 19 stations with a total staff of 289 and a budget of $45,000,000

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City Pays Union Firefighters To FILL THE BOOT

dave — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:51:05 +0000

A reader contacted the GUARDIAN recently saying the Boise Firefighters Union members are “volunteering” for the Muscular Dystrophy Drive while on duty.

We checked with an insider and found that in some cases those guys out playing in traffic are indeed on-duty firefighters. We can overlook the dangers of being in traffic, the intimidation factor, etc., but this union activity–regardless of how noble–shouldn’t be on the taxpayer’s dime.

The GUARDIAN understands the men and equipment are available to respond to emergencies, but hundreds of other good charities don’t get
the services of uniformed city first responders to help with their cause. Someone at the top needs to gently tell these will intentioned public servants to put the boot on the other foot.

The annual drive has a history of sparking complaints from some citizens. If the effort was endorsed by the city council on behalf of the “citizens of Boise,” it wouldn’t be an issue, but when it is a private function of the union it should be on personal time.

Firefighters Seek To Fill The Boot With “Stupid Person” Fees

dave — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:05:48 +0000

Boise’s City Council approved a set of “stupid person” fees on behalf of the Fire Department Tuesday night. It must take one to know one.

Here is the price list for “AT FAULT” fees these elected politicos approved.

-Residential false alarm: second $75, three or more, $150 each.
-Commercial false alarm: second $125, three or more, $250 each.
-Arson investigation: $75 per hour
-Fighting illegal fire: $300 per hour
-Dive rescue: $1,000 first three hours, $250 each additional hour.
-Powerline incident: $75 first hour, $300 each additional hour.
-Gas or water pipeline incident: $400 first three hours, $300 each additional hour.
-Major hazmat, such as a meth lab: $2,500 first three hours, $300 each additional hour.
-Minor hazmat, such as a minor fuel spill: $450
-Vehicle fire: $600

EDITOR NOTE–The GUARDIAN has no objection to fees for costly false alarm responses. The editor was even lobbied for the original fee ordinance nearly 40 years ago.

We can see it now. A guy is clinging to a tree branch along the Boise River after flipping his canoe and a good Samaritan shouts,”Don’t worry I called 911.”

“Why did you do that? I have a wife and kids to support. I can’t afford to be rescued! PLEASE call them back and I will wait for the water to get below 6,500 cfs,” screams the drowning man.

While well intended, this is one of those acts on the part of City Council that simply needs some “adult supervision.” The rates are arbitrary and subject to interpretation of some firefighter who decides if the person being rescued or the leaky pipe is due to someone “at fault.”

Collections will be difficult–if not impossible and potentially more costly in legal fees than worthwhile. Someone other than the city will get rich on the collection portion.

If a car catches fire, why charge a guy an additional $600 for his misfortune? Just exactly WHO will be billed $75 an hour for arson investigation? Can a property owner simply dismiss the process saying, “I decided not to have an arson investigation. Thanks anyway.”

The absurdity of this shopping list is limitless. Does Idaho Power have to pay $75 when a tree falls on a wire? Imagine if the stupid person is part of a convention or a CEO thinking about locating his business in Boise–bet he gets off for FREE!

If any of the “AT FAULT” actions are criminal, the prosecutor can simply demand restitution for actual expenses at trial as part of sentencing.

Running Government Like A Business

dave — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:27:16 +0000

A couple of stories we have noticed recently in rural Idaho media show just how to run government like a business AND turn a tidy profit for government workers. Some are legal, some are crooked, and some just stink.

–The GUARDIAN detailed how Boise motorcycle coppers make $56 an hour using city equipment to patrol Boise County. It is all legal, but of no benefit to Boise taxpayers.

–The Idaho World in Idaho City has a story of former emergency services employee Gordon Ravenscroft sending a private firm consulting work when he owned the private outfit. The commishes dumped the guy and now he is suing for unlawful termination, claiming former commishes had approved the deal.

“According to Ravenscroft’s filing, the County asserts that Ravenscroft performed grant writing and administration work directly related to his duties as Emergency Management Director. Ravenscroft was a full-time, regular county employee paid $44,773 annually.

It is routine for county department heads to apply for and oversee grants for their departments.

But here’s the kicker: Ravenscroft also billed the County for writing, administering, and inspecting grant projects through his company, MCL Consulting. Those invoices were paid by the County out of grant funds.
The Secretary of State’s business entity database reveals that Ravenscroft is listed as the President of MCL Consulting, LLC. His wife, Theresa, is listed as Treasurer.

According to records obtained from the county clerk, Boise County has paid invoices totaling $94,711.64 to MCL Consulting for grant services since Ravenscroft was hired in April, 2004.”

–Former Idaho Dept.of Environmental Quality staffer Jorge Garcia, 50, and Karen Damberg Garcia, 47, were sentenced Monday in federal court in Boise for conspiring to defraud the DEQ of grant funds that were intended to install diesel emission reduction equipment on school buses. Jorge Garcia was a project manager for the DEQ responsible for the bus diesel emission reduction project. Idaho DEQ paid the couple’s company more than $339,000.

–City of Kuna created an urban renewal district ahead of the July 1 date new laws go into effect in order to avoid a public vote. The tiny city consulted with Boise’s CCDC director Phil Kushlan prior to creation of the district. Now Kushlan, who is being paid $114,000 by Boise’s district as a consultant following his retirement, is a leading contender to direct the Kuna urban renewal program. The other candiate is former Boise City Councilor Jerome Mapp.

Boise PD Gets Iconic Makeover For Man & Machine

dave — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:46:18 +0000

Like a scene from the television show “Extreme Makeover,” Boise PD had a media event Friday to rollout new patrol cars and shoulder patches. With yelps of a siren and LED lights flashing, the first new “BLACK VELVET” patrol car rolled up sporting a silver “swoosh” on the door that looks like it had creative roots with Nike.

With several dozen coppers standing by, the media was treated to a brief history of the BPD insignia patch and patrol cars of the past. All the players who worked on the committee to select the Dodge Chargers were on hand. LED lights (which are manufactured locally) adorn the black velvet muscle cars along with massive cow-catcher push bars in the front designed to reduce damage during those PIT maneuvers where coppers push violators off the road when they won’t stop.

The new patches–a remake of the current patch designed by everyone’s favorite local politico and copper Vern Bisterfeldt–are an update of the familiar design of the Capitol building, but sport an American flag. Bisterfeldt is credited with designing the original patch during his night shift duties some 50 years ago.

The 20 “Black Velvets” cost taxpayers $490,000 ($24,500 each) and are expected to replace the entire fleet of 100 marked patrol over the next 4-5 years. There is an additional $10K worth of add-ons. The 140 “take home” cars in the fleet will remain mostly unmarked and come from a multitude of vendors. Top Copper Mike Masterson told the GUARDIAN those cars will soon be coming from rental agencies and purchased USED with less than 24,000 miles on them.

Frequent Flyer Grounded In Boise, Banned From Future Flights

dave — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:34:29 +0000

A frequent flyer with more than 40,000 hours in the air over the past 31 years arrived in Boise Wednesday, never to fly again.

Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson was among the officers on hand to take the elderly flyer into custody at Gowen Field. Pilots were instructed to use a secure runway just south of the main airport to avoid other passengers and not interfere with normal airport operations.

Not only were there coppers and a contingent of firefighters with a crash truck on hand to handle the arrival, Mayor Dave Bieter also made an appearance.

The “frequent flyer” will be permanently located at the 5,000 ft runway used mostly for Air Guard training. Team Dave may not have gotten a train, but thanks to a donation from Fed-Ex the city now has an airplane. It’s a 31 year old third-hand Boeing 727 to use for police and fire training exercises.

The engines and all fluids will be removed from the craft. It will serve as a training tool for removing passengers from confined areas, evacuations, and staging of emergency vehicles at crash scenes.

Guardian Editor Dave Frazier was honored to be the first Boisean to sit in the pilot seat of the city’s newest toy. Two Bird Colonels from the Idaho National Guard marked the occasion with salutes as Frazier “deplaned.”

One observer remarked, “Surely you can’t think this is funny.”
Frazier responded, “Of course it’s funny. And don’t call me Shirley.”

Paramedic Trade Worthy Of Major League Baseball

dave — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:30:54 +0000

In a four-way trade between Ada County, The Western Idaho Fair (Expo Idaho), North Ada County Fire & Rescue, and the Ada County Emergency Medical Services, the Chinden Blvd. fire station will reopen… sort of… sometimes.

In October the fire station was closed when NACFR ran out of money due to lower assessed property values. Boise FD provides coverage to NACFR under a contract, but since NACFR couldn’t pay its agreed upon rate to Boise, the station was closed. Boise claimed the closure saved $1,000,000 a year, but it increased response times to a big portion of Garden City and the Fairview-Curtis area of Boise.

Today the County EMS reports they were offered use of the closed station for ambulance responses. To pay the “rent” Ada County Commishes–who run the ada County Ambulance District (which is NOT a county agency) got together with Expo Idaho, which is a county enterprise fund that doesn’t use any tax revenues, and told them to stop charging the monthly $1,000 rent for the NACFR station on Glenwood which is on fairgrounds land as a trade.

It would appear the Fair is losing a grand to the EMS in lost rent. But these EMS folks are crafty as a medical insurance policy when it comes to money. The EMS claim they would be charging the Fair (Expo Idaho) about $12,000 for paramedic service each year, sooo while the Fair will lose 12 grand in rent to NACFR, they will save 12 grand that EMS has never charged previously, but claims they will charge in the future.

Now that we have explained that part, the question remains: HOW THE HECK DID ANYONE SAVE $1,000,000 CLOSING A FIRE STATION THAT IS BEING REOPENED AND NO MONEY CHANGED HANDS? ON TOP OF THAT BOISE “ABSORBED” ABOUT 9 FIREFIGHTERS IN THE DEAL.

Guv Butch and the legislature need these folks to balance the state budget. Boise FD closes a station, pays 9 firefighters and saves $1,000,000 and somehow the same station reopens with paramedics and NO firefighters for $12,00 in trades. Who is on first?

Cheatgrass And Growth Are Hot Topic

dave — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:04:24 +0000

Range managers and scientists from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management are meeting in Boise this week to figure out a way to reduce the invasive cheatgrass species found throughout the southwest Idaho desert, according to a DAILY PAPER report.

If they find a solution it could save Ada taxpayers some money. Last summer in just one afternoon the BLM dumped nearly $80,000 into a single fire of about 100 acres off South Cole named the “Peregrine Fire.”

While little of the land was actually government owned, the BLM crews responded with aerial retardant bombers, bulldozers, fire engines, and ground crews from as far away as Vale, Oregon.

And herein lies another aspect of growth, taxes, interagency cooperation, and how to spend public money.

BLM crews are not trained or equipped to fight “structure fires” but as more and more development invades rural areas–just like the cheatgrass invades it–the cost to local property owners (taxpayers) tends to skyrocket.

Not only did the BLM dump $80,000 on the Peregrine Fire, the Boise City fire department dispatched close to one-third of its resources to protect a handful of upscale homes built in the Whitney fire district which is now protected by Boise FD under a contract agreement. Units from other departments in the county also responded.

THE GUARDIAN noted at the time, firefighters all worked together and did a great job extinguishing the “human-caused” blaze. But the fact remains lives were put at risk and public money was expended because GROWTH trumped common sense.

When the next housing bubble is formed, politicos should not allow development to leapfrog beyond incorporated areas.