With six months to go before the new Placentia Fire and Life Safety Department begins running emergency calls, city officials say the process of starting a new agency is on track and they’ll be ready for a July 1 launch.
City Administrator Damien Arrula plans to interview fire chief and battalion chief candidates in the next couple weeks, followed by the rest of the new Placentia Fire and Life Safety Department’s 23 full-time personnel and a roster of reserve firefighters, he said.
He’s ordered a mini pumper (with a heavy-duty truck cab in front and a back half that holds hoses, pumps and other firefighting tools) that will be delivered next month and two fire engines should be ready by May; firefighter badges and a logo have been designed.
“Things have overall gone great,” Arrula said. “We’ve achieved all of our milestones to date.”