Residents, local fire union unhappy over Cambria's new fire chief 

Cambria has a new fire chief, but not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

During the Oct. 20 board meeting, Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) board of directors voted to appoint Justin Vincent as Cambria's fire chief. The appointment was met with speculation from residents and the local fire union over several issues, including pay and Vincent's qualifications.

Cambria resident Elizabeth Bettenhausen raised concerns over why the annual starting salary of the new fire chief was at the highest pay scale, which is listed around $151,463.

"I do not understand how you could agree to an expenditure of more than $100,000 annually without seeing a description of the specific nature and value of what is purchased by the money," Bettenhausen said during public comment. "It's like saying you'll spend $100,000 on maintaining parks annually without any description of the qualifications of those newly hired to do the work."

Cambria resident Robert Reid questioned Vincent's qualifications, due to a lack of transparency from the district.

click to enlarge

• File Photo By Jayson Mellom
• NEW CHIEF IN TOWN Cambria residents and the local fire union have raised concerns over the hiring of a new fire chief.

"Cambria faces severe threats to life, safety, and property and has struggled for years to generate improved and more effective fire evacuation strategies, and in fact has relied mostly upon its good citizens, as volunteers, to lead this effort," Reid wrote in a letter to the board. "This is an opportunity to make fire evacuation an accountability of the new fire chief, and as a trained fire safety professional, an opportunity to advance improved evacuation strategies."

CCSD General Manager John F. Weigold told New Times that while he can't divulge too much information about Vincent due to candidate confidentiality, he feels that Vincent has proved himself professionally through prior experience to warrant the pay, adding that he considered the salary to be underpaid.

But the local fire union feels differently about the position's salary, claiming that the proposed amount is inappropriate compared to firefighters' salaries.

"Today, there has been absolutely no dialogue by the general manager about securing funding for the firefighters and it isn't included in the CCSD strategic plan. We're fearful that we're going down the same road as before and the community will lose their firefighters again," said Micheal Castianos, union president of the IAFF Local 4635.

Over the course of his career, according to Weigold, Vincent has been a director at the Hughson Fire Protection District, a deputy fire chief at Mojave Air and Space Port's fire department, and has been a fire chief in both Suisun City and California City.

"He's been a fire chief twice before. He is experienced in the urban wildfire interface, which is the interface between your structure fires," Weigold told New Times. "So he's got a very heavy background in fire prevention and working with communities."

His time as fire chief in California City ended after city officials fired him for gossiping about the mayor's alleged love affair with a police lieutenant, according to court documents. Vincent sued the city, claiming wrongful termination because he wasn't "business friendly" enough to cannabis businesses.

Regardless, Weigold vouches for Vincent's skills, pointing to his time as a public safety manager and chief park ranger of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.

"He's responsible for developing all emergency and disaster plans, managing evacuation centers, enforcement of all district ordinances, managing emergency operations centers, and fire and safety at all district-owned properties," Weigold said. "I think the community's going to be very lucky to have him." Δ