Antioch Press 07.11.14

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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 14, No. 28

Firefighters working overtime by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer

East Contra Costa Fire Pro tectio n District (ECC FPD) firefighters a re working a n average o f three extra shifts a mo nth to ma ke up for vacancies within the department, F ire C hief Hugh H enderson told the district boa rd during its meeting M o nday night. The depa rtment has 10 vaca ncies, requiring each of the district's 35 fire suppressio n p ersonnel to work a n ave rage of 72 extra hours a mo nth at a cost of $85,000 to the district p er mo nth. H owever, with the district expected to vote on Aug. 4 whether o r no t to proceed with

a n attempt to create a voter-a pproved benefit assessment district, Henderson suggested the district continue filling the vacancies with employees working overtime as o pposed to closing a statio n, which would a lleviate nine of the I 0 vacancies. "The best service that we can provide fo r o ur community in this hot, dry summer that we are having, and to maintain our coverage, is to ma inta in our sta ffing level," H enderson said. F urthering the cha llenges a head, if the board proceeds with the attempt for a benefit assessment a nd voters approve it du ring a ma il-in e lectio n t hat e nds in October, it could ta ke up to fi ve mo nths fo r additio na l firefighters to hit the streets due

to the lengthy hiring a nd tra ining process, H ende rson said. Tn a ll, the district might need firefighters to work overtime fo r the next 10 mo nths to ma inta in current service levels. The revelation prompted board director Joe Young to ask H enderson fo r a repo rt outlining methodology of closing statio ns. Directo r Greg Cooper suggested the board vote on closing a station next month. " We are in this perfect storm where for years t his district has struggled ," Cooper said . " We've had layoffs; we've had the SAFER (Sta ffing fo r Adequate Fire a nd Emergency Respo nse) grant kick in. There has never been any solid fo undation to the district. Now all of a

s udden, as we get closer to this decisio n, we have all these openings and people a re being fo rced to work a lot more. I think it's a ll coming together at the same time a nd having a n impact o n the o rganization we as a board need to address." Vince Wells, president of firefig hter union Local 1230, which represents ECC FPD firefig hters, said the firefighte rs a re OK with working overtime for now, but the district need s to clear up its clo udy fu t ure. "They a re willing to work, a nd they are willing to protect their co mmunities, but eventua lly there needs to be some h ope that relief is coming," he said.

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China inspires change

The Brentwood Harvest Time Festival makes its debut at City Park th is weekend. Page 18

Taking a bite out of cancer

American Cancer Society fundraiser Bark For Lif e returns t o The Streets. Page 7A

Motocross mini master

by Corey Hunt Corre sponde nt

Oakley Mayor Ra ndy Pope is back in town a fter a 10-day visit to the People's Republic of China, a n excursion that gave him a cha nce to meet with local leaders, exchange ideas with entrepreneurs and investors, and get a glimpse into the changing societal structures in a countly many have come to see as a rival to American superpower status. Pope, however, saw tremendous oppo rtunities during the all-expenses paid trip - opportunities that can benefit both countries and bring the people closer together. "This was about planting relationships that can produce future fruits. T here was a lot of ceremony... a lot of shaking hands," said Pope, who attended the meetings with a number of other mayors and vice mayors from around the Bay Area. " In China, believe it or not, they are very interested in little up and coming Oakley... how we're trying to make employment opportunities close to home, so people don't have to commute on the highways. They are getting into that same way of thinking ...they're just now developing American-style suburbs. "

A salute to agriculture

see Overtime page 26A

Press awards Oakley mayor's trip to The Brentwood Press & Publishing Corporation won five awards in the National Newspaper Association's recent 2014 Better Newspapers Competition. Associate Editor Samie Ha rtley won third place in the Best Humor Column categ01y for her Simple & Sassy column "A reflection in selfies." To read her column, visit www.thepress. netlfeatures/columns/samie_haitley. Anne Ray and Sharon Finerty won first place for Best Use of Ad Color in their G ot A Pa rty Brentwood Pumpkinfest advertisement. Lonnie de Lambert and Michele Chatbum collected second place for Best Single Ad Idea for The Little Gym Date Night adveit isement, and Ray and Rebecca Porterfield took third place in the Best Use of Ad Color for the Sunshine House ad, which was described as "absolutely adorable" by NNA judges. Carol Laird and Connie O'Neill once again received an honorable mention for Best Classified Section, which you can check o ut on Page II B.

July 11,2014

Photo courtesy of Randy Pope

Mayor Randy Pope's recent trip t o China, above, w as a rare opportunity t o meet w ith local leaders and business owners t o discuss the future of government and business aro und the globe.

He broke his t1ip, organized and funded by China Silicon Valley, down into two components: government and business. see China page 26A

Jacob Jones is making a name for himself in t he racing world, an d he's only 8. Page 17A

Calendar ............................ 158 Classifieds .... ..... ...... ..... ..... 11 B Comics ...... ..................... ..... .. 98 Cop Logs ............................ 148 Classifieds .... ..... ...... ..... ..... 11 B East County Living ... ........ 1B Health & Beauty .... ..... ..... .. 8B Milestones ......... ........ .. ..... .. 78 Opinion .............. ....... .. ....... 18A Sports .... ........................... .. 19A

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~~~~~~. .- Get outside and

enjoy California's w ildlife areas t his summer to get in touch with nature.

I. W

Volunteers are needed to assist Project Homeless Connect 20 14 in August.


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