Fire Department Offering Free Fire Safety Class for Older Adults

Individuals and groups from retirement communities, service clubs and neighborhood watch groups welcome.

The Monterey Park Fire Department is launching a fire safety campaign for older adults to prevent the community’s residents from joining fire death statistics that escalate

dramatically at age 65. The campaign is in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Some disturbing facts about older adults and fires:

People age 65 and older are three times as likely to die in a residential fire as the rest of the population.

Each year, approximately 1,100 Americans age 65 and older die in home fires and another 3,000 are injured.

Careless smoking, cooking and heating practices are the top three causes of fire deaths among people ages 65 and older.

In light of this data, the Fire Department is inviting the public to attend a free fire safety class for older adults to be held on August 30 at 2 p.m. in the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library’s Friends Room.

Attendees from retirement communities, service organizations, and neighborhood watch groups are welcomed.

During the 30-minute class, firefighters will share simple steps to help avoid tragedy. Some areas of

discussion include:

The importance of maintaining smoke alarms.

Developing and practicing a fire escape plan.

The benefits of home fire sprinklers.

When to call for emergency assistance.

A question and answer period.

If residents cannot attend the first offering of the class in August, the class will be repeated on a regular basis for the next year. Interested parties can contact the Monterey Park Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office at 626-307-1308 to schedule a fire safety presentation or contact the Library’s LAMP office to sign-up by calling 626-307-1251.

City of Monterey Park Browning-out One Fire Engine as a Budgetary Measure

The City of Monterey Park is browning-out one of its three fire engines in an effort to maintain a balanced fiscal position. As a result, Station 61’s fire engine has been

temporarily taken out of service effective immediately. Station 61 will continue to operate its ambulance and ladder truck equipment. Station 61 is located next door to city hall at 350 W. Newmark Ave.

Previously, the city had three fire engines at three stations: 61, 62 and 63. All three Monterey Park fire stations will remain fully operational with two fire engines available at all times at stations 62 and 63 and one ladder truck available at Station 61. The city also has two ambulances at stations 61 and 62, which will remain operational and in-service.

The temporary cost savings is approximately $67,000 monthly. This savings will be realized by the reduction of overtime pay for fire department personnel, which currently costs the city approximately $1.2 million annually.

Fire Chief Jim Birrell has implemented an operational plan, which will incorporate a cooperative approach from neighboring agencies to help absorb the impact to the community.

City administrators are continuing to negotiate a new contract with the firefighters association and are asking association members to begin paying for their employee share of their pension costs. Currently, the city pays for both the 25 percent employer share contribution and the 9 percent employee share of their CalPERS (PERS) pension. The current contract expired June 30, 2012.

The city is hopeful that contract negotiations can be settled in the near future, but is taking immediate action in order to maintain its balanced 2012-2013 fiscal year budget.

At the July 18, 2012 city council meeting, the city approved labor agreements with three other police and fire employee associations, which included those employees paying their full cost of the employees’ share of the PERS retirement.

To date, seven of the eight Monterey Park employee groups have agreed to pay their full employee portion of their PERS retirement costs.