A recent question about the appropriate title for Doña Ana County's top fire official brought to the forefront a power struggle that's been simmering for years between county administrators and volunteer fire districts across the county.
County commissioners answered the question definitively when they voted unanimously earlier this month to change Robert Monsivaiz's title from "fire marshal" to "fire chief."
Monsivaiz said the move was necessary to reinforce authority he's had for years to enforce rules and regulations across the districts. But some volunteer fire personnel and chiefs saw the vote as an administrative shift that gives the volunteer districts less say.
The issue hearkens back to a 2007 County Commission decision that attempted to unify 16 volunteer fire districts throughout the county under a single umbrella. That move created a backlash from many districts, which had long operated semi-autonomously from county administration. Part of the reason behind the decision, officials said at the time, was to ensure volunteers were following human resources policies to reduce legal liability to the county. The commission passed a measure, billed as a compromise, that established a countywide fire department but required the top fire official — the county fire marshal — to collaborate with an association of firefighters and chiefs in decision-making. But it resulted in ambiguity about where the lines of authority were drawn.