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Page 20 - Idyllwild Town Crier, July 17, 2008 IFPD contractor specializes in weeds By J.P. Crumrine Assistant Editor The recently released Grand Jury reports on the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) and the December Highway Fire were not discussed publicly at the July 8 meeting. IFPD President Glen McWilliams told attendees that the board would entertain no questions nor discuss the subject until the district had responded to the Grand Jury. “I really don’t think we need to comment much until we do respond,” he said. “We have 90 days, until Sept. 23, and will do it well before then. We should not discuss it until we do our response.” IFPD’s legal counsel, Douglas Walters of Walters and Caietti of San Diego, attended the meeting and suggested that the board release its response once delivered to the Grand Jury. Also attending was Shirl Papaian, regional manager for Fire Prevention Services (FPS) of El Cajon. This firm has a contract with IFPD to inspect and force abatement for the district. The tone and intent of its abatement letters has been challenged at recent IFPD board meetings. L a s t w e e k , Pa p a i a n stressed that FPS does not need a contractor’s license to abate weeds. According to a 1998 e-mail, the State Contractors Review Board told Ken Olson, FPS owner, that weed abatement, regardless of the cost of the work, does not come under its jurisdiction. In the July 3 FPS story in the Town Crier, it was reported that IFPD Chief Steve Kunkle did not require a state contractor’s license within IFPD jurisdiction, but Papaian clarified the question. She stressed that weed abatement and trash removal was the limit of FPS’ work. She was adamant that FPS would not entertain securing a contractor’s license. “We don’t fell trees. We do limb trees because that falls under fire prevention,” Papaian replied, when Don Patterson, Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council project manager, asked what would happen if a property had a dead or dying tree which needed removal for fire protection. Kunkle said property owners still had a myriad of choices to clear or to remove trees without involving FPS in that aspect of the abatement. However, Idyllwild’s deputy fire marshal, Capt. Jim Manietta, was less certain of how that situation would be resolved. “If forced abatement is needed and trees are involved, I’m not sure how to approach that,” he stated. “Local contractors didn’t give us prices.” However, the FPS contract was not put out to bid. IFPD did make inquiries about the prices local companies charge for certain work, Papian and Manietta said. Kunkle and Treasurer Janice Coopersmith said FPS was the only company willing to conduct forced abatement and wait for the tax payments to recover its costs. He also expressed displeasure that local contractors did not offer to help remove trees. Finally, Kunkle praised the abatement letters’ language. Although it may appear harsh and stringent, he said that has resulted in far more abatement at this point than ever before. “I really don’t care about the language; I do care that we are becoming a firesafe community,” he stated. As of June 30, more than 1,800 properties have passed abatement. However, nearly 3,000 inspections had been conducted before July 1, 2007, according to the chief’s report. Separately, Kunkle and McWilliams indicated that FPS’ experience with obtaining tax liens and documenting the processes is a major reason for its selection. In other business, Coopersmith announced that IFPD had a slight deficit for 2007-08. However, mitigating circumstances contributed to this problem. IFPD had not received the fourthquarter payment from the county for the Pine Cove ambulance contract, county taxes were unexpectedly down 2 percent and the medical bill collector has a $20,000 collection payment to be sent to IFPD. Ron Korman of Fern See Contractor, page 30
FPS Continued from page 1 space requirements from the Public Resource Code — 30- and 100-foot zones around structures, the closer zone being a more intensive fire protection barrier. The purpose is to protect the home from fires in the forest and to keep structure fires from spreading into the forest. To build an effective defensible space around a structure, one is likely to have to remove some trees, dead or dying, or even potential ladder fuels. This capability is beyond the FPS’ abilities, as the company acknowledged to the public last week. (See page 20.) The Lees’ notice specifically references section K, which requires the distance between crowns of brush or chaparral to be equal to the widest adjacent plant. And all dead limbs and twigs should be removed. The Lees could appeal the notice at a cost of $25. They could drive to Idyllwild and abate the property. Or they could contact FPS, the company with an exclusive contract with IFPD to accomplish comprehensive “vegetation and rubbish management,” including fire spread, public nuisance and blight abatement. FPS is mentioned five times in the half-page notice, including the heading at the top of the page; the Lees contacted FPS and asked for an estimate to abate their property, which required tree work, something FPS is legally not allowed to do. The estimate was $1,400 for their half-acre lot property. “We both thought that was an exorbitant amount,” Linda said. “So we went up to Idyllwild on June 21 and 22. We spent the full day cutting and limbing trees — all scrub oak and manzanita.” By the time they completed abating their property, the Lees had taken eight trips to the transfer station in a pick-up truck full to the cabin with a tarp covering. The Lees deemed their effort “fabulous.” Apparently, the president of the Cedar Glen Property Owners agreed since he singled it out as a great job at the group’s July meeting. So imagine the couple’s feelings when they received the Final Notice to Abate Hazard last week. “It feels to me that Fire Prevention is all about getting money from us and they’re still trying to get it,” Linda opined. What particularly irked them is that FPS had sent photographs to guide them through the abatement effort, and they had followed them The Lees were perplexed. What else did they need to abate What was a danger on the property As a last resort, Linda called IFPD for help and intervention. “I just got off the phone with IFPD,” she said Thursday afternoon. “They want $49 for a second inspection. It’s not fair. If I don’t pay, FPS will assess a $350 administrative charge against us.” Full of frustration because they felt they had fully complied with the abatement notice, the Lees, living far to the south were feeling helpless. Before finishing the conversation with IFPD, Linda, who had read the July 3 article about FPS and IFPD, said she would call the Town Crier. After the Town Crier finished a 10-minute conversation with Linda at about 2:30 p.m., this reporter left to photograph (with her permission) the Lee property. The drive took about five minutes and the photographing was completed about 3:15 p.m. During this time, Linda had called the paper a second time at 3 p.m. and left a voice mail saying IFPD had withdrawn the abatement notice at no cost to them, she said. “As soon as I got off the phone with IFPD, I called you,” Linda said. “She [the Examples of the size of trees removed from the Lee property in Cedar Glen in order to pass the fire abatement inspection. Also one can see that the yard is essentially bare mineral with no weeds, just trees, oaks and manzanitas. Photo by J.P. Crumrine IFPD agent] said Fire Prevention was on the property and everything looked good.” The only person on the Lee property between 2:40 and 3:15 p.m. was this reporter. Furthermore, the Lees did no abatement of their property between June Jazz in the Pines PROGRAM 15th Annual Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines August 23 & 24, 2008 Idyllwild Town Crier, July 17, 2008 - Page 21 22 and July 10. During that period, the property both failed a third inspection and passed. IFPD President Glen McWilliams says FPS was given a contract because they would do all the paperwork if it were necessary to go to court and force an abatement, whose costs would be recovered from a tax lien. “There’s no way IFPD has the time and staff to take these people to court,” he said. But he emphasized that IFPD does do the property Reach thousands of affluent music lovers from Southern California and beyond! Advertise your business in the official 10,000 Programs Printed! • 4,200 Programs inserted in the August 14 edition of the Idyllwild Town Crier newspaper • 5,000 distributed FREE at the Jazz Festival Ad space as low as $78 Deadline: Fri., July 18, 2008 Call Grace or Kathy at the Town Crier (951) 659-2145 Starring Lee Ritenour & Dave Koz Spot color $40 • Full color $120 inspections, not FPS. Yet, FPS had photographs of the alleged violations on the Lee property. Despite the dismissal of the final notice, the Lees were aghast at the process. “It’s the biggest scam and felt like extortion — pay them or pay the district. They were in it together it seemed,” she opined. IFPD’s withdrawal of the final notice did not leave a good feeling with the couple. J.P. Crumrine can be reached at jp@towncrier.com. Public invited to news meetings The public is invited to the Town Crier’s weekly news meetings. The meetings usually are held at 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Café Aroma. Occasionally, the meetings are rescheduled because of conflicting community meetings. E-mail itc@towncrier.com to find out if a meeting has been rescheduled.
Page 1 and 2: News bites Weekend crashes One coll
Page 3 and 4: Outside Idyllwild Idyllwild Town Cr
Page 5 and 6: Community calendar For the Arts & E
Page 7 and 8: Town talk By Jenny Kirchner, Staff
Page 9 and 10: By Marshall Smith Correspondent Fro
Page 11 and 12: Idyllwild Town Crier, July 17, 2008
Page 13 and 14: On The Town Idyllwild Town Crier, J
Page 15 and 16: A&E Continued from previous page Ar
Page 17 and 18: No dogs or pranks at future summer
Page 19: Idyllwild Town Crier, July 17, 2008
Page 23 and 24: Garner Valley Continued from page 1
Page 25 and 26: Idyllwild Town Crier, July 17, 2008
Page 27 and 28: Classifieds Continued from previous
Page 29 and 30: Classifieds Continued from previous
Page 31 and 32: Service directory • Business •
Page 33 and 34: Land Surveyor Lee N. Arnson License
Page 35 and 36: Creature corner By Shela Boynton Do

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