FIREWIRE Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 8

FIRE CHIEF

MARK HARTWIG

FIRE CHIEF

MEETING THE COUNTY VISION

The public safety partnership between our organization and the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department is stronger today than at any other time in the fire district ’ s history . I attribute this healthy — and growing — relationship to the commitment and dedication of Sheriff John McMahon , who has actively sought out ways in which County Sheriff and Fire could work together more closely to improve services and maximize the investment from county taxpayers .
Perhaps the most visible evidence of this is revealed by our working relationship with the rescue helicopter program . Now , I have said that if Igor Sikorsky imagined an area where his newly developed rotorwing aircraft would be used , it would have been San Bernardino County . The geographic diversity and sheer size of County Fire ’ s 19,000 square mile jurisdiction — and the distance that means patients may need to travel for definitive care — makes rotor wing aircraft a necessity , not a luxury . County Sheriff and Fire conducted a 12-month pilot program in which a sheriff advanced life support helicopter , dedicated and staffed with two deputies and two firefighters , was positioned at the Apple Valley airport . Staffed 10 hours per day , four days a week , the ship was auto-launched for confirmed injury accidents , transporting roughly 100 patients to valley trauma centers . Given that there are approximately 850 patients originating from County Fire jurisdiction transported to trauma centers each year , the rescue and transport capabilities shown by this pilot program proved invaluable to County Fire and the citizens of San Bernardino County .
Another valuable partnership has been the all-risk inmate fire camp based in Glen Helen . The sheriff provides housing and custody , while fire district staff provides training and work . To date , our inmate crews have worked incidents both large and small across the county . As a sign of the program ’ s health , local government cooperators also now request our hand crews via mutual aid .
Glen Helen is also the site of a future joint County Sheriff / Fire training center ; staff from both agencies are working with County Real Estate to develop a site plan between the fire camp and the sheriff academy that will share classroom and props .
County residents and taxpayers are the beneficiaries of the strengthened county public safety partnership . Meanwhile , day-to-day operations between County Sheriff and Fire are improved because of the many programs at work each day between the two departments .
On behalf of the San Bernardino County Fire District , I thank Sheriff McMahon and the men and women of the County Sheriff Department for your professionalism and commitment to effective joint public safety operations .
Mark Hartwig has been chief of San Bernardino County Fire District since May of 2011 . Holding bachelor ’ s degrees from both Cal-Poly Pomona and Loma Linda University , he also holds an M . S . in emergency services administration from Cal-State Long Beach . He serves as president of the California Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association and as legislative director of the California Fire Chiefs Association . A regular FIREWIRE contributor , he resides with his family in Rancho Cucamonga .
Following the conclusion of the study , Captain / Paramedic Jack DeJong and Firefighter / Paramedic Eric Sherwin have been assigned to the sheriff air program based at San Bernardino International Airport . We now look to secure funding for a jointagency paramedic airship staffed seven days per week and based back at Apple Valley .
Spring 2016 • FIREWIRE 5