PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As we move quickly into 2023, there has been a lot of activity since our last FDAC Report.

The Education Committee has put the final touches on the Annual Conference program to be held in Napa from March 14-17, 2023. It will be a solid program for fire chiefs, elected and appointed board members as well as fire district professionals. Registration is open and I encourage you to attend the conference and take a chance to gain knowledge in areas you may not be familiar with, as well as the unique opportunity to network with peers from around the state. The exhibitor area will be the largest we have had and a unique opportunity to see the latest and greatest in technology and services available to the fire service. Please encourage your peers to attend this event.

We continue to work very closely with Cal Chiefs and try to align our priorities. A great example was a meeting in Sacramento in December 2022. The purpose of the meeting was to align the California legislative priorities for 2023. Included in the meeting were the leadership folks from FDAC, CalChiefs, California Professional Firefighters, CalCities, CSDA, Smith Moore and Associates, PPA, and others. For me, that was the most powerful and meaningful meeting I have ever been part of during my professional time in the fire service. We identified not only issues that we all face, we also started to map out the solutions to those issues. The most substantial issue facing fire districts is long-term sustainable funding. Over the past four decades we have been hit financially several times.

Prop 13 in the late 70’s froze property tax, ERAF shift to fund State’s obligation to school funding, then Prop 172 in the 90’s that was supposed to backfill the losses of the ERAF shift to public safety, yet the vast majority of those funds go to law enforcement. We plan on getting together again soon and keep the momentum going. I have reached out to the new OES Director and asked that we find a date to meet next month to continue our quarterly meetings with OES and the fire service leadership group.

FDAC’s legislative folks are working with CalChiefs and PPA. Chief Walt White is now the lead for FDAC and is doing a great job. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to him.

I am sure that most of us saw the negative impacts from the violent winter storms that impacted the state after New Year’s. Even though the 2022 fire season was not as dramatic as the previous seven years, Mother Nature saved a different punch for the California fire service. We did what we always do, we rose to the occasion and protected our communities from a different threat that came in the form of severe winter storms with deadly winds and major rainfall. The all-risk California fire service.

This will be my final President’s Message to you. I would like to thank each one of you for your continued support. Chief Eric Walder will take over at the conclusion of the 2023 Annual Conference. The FDAC Board of Directors and the staff from Smith Moore & Associates will continue to advocate on your behalf and we stand ready to assist you with your needs.

Take care of yourself, and the troops. I look forward to seeing you in Napa in March!

Chief Jim Comisky (ret.) President FDAC

South Lake County Fire Protection District

You will not want to miss the 2023 FDAC Annual Conference. This years’ conference will provide education and networking opportunities for California Fire District leadership and board members. We will be kick-starting the conference off strong with our Opening Keynote, Dr. Reginald Freeman, Fire Chief for City of Oakland where he runs a fire department that responds to over 60,000 calls annually.

Located in Napa, CA the Marriott Hotel is surrounded by legendary Napa wineries for you to sit back, relax and enjoy the sun with the beautiful view of the Northern California Valley. Register today to get your spot locked in and we look forward to seeing you soon for another impactful conference.

Register Today!

20+ Innovative Sessions