"Fresno airport splits duties: Firefighters, police officers to perform separate tasks"

Monday, July 4, 2005

Fresno airport splits duties 
Firefighters, police officers to perform separate tasks. 
By Donald E. Coleman
The Fresno (CA) Bee 


Starting Oct. 1, firefighters and police at Fresno Yosemite International
Airport will have separate duties for the first time in more than 20 years. 

"Police officers will function for security only, and firefighters will do
fires only," said Fresno police Lt. Tony Bennink, head of the city's
Department of Homeland Security and Airport Unit.

The 22 people working as public safety officers can apply for transfers with
the city's police or fire departments, seek to remain at the airport or move
to another city department, depending on qualifications. 

The transition comes after a city Public Safety Commission raised the issue
last year of whether the airport's public safety officers were utilized
properly in a post-9/11 world. The airport officers who patrol the terminal
and grounds also operate firetrucks on the runway.

Last August, the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined the
city $36,000 for a series of violations, including failure to train airport
public safety officers to fight fires in the terminal and other buildings.
Director of Aviation Russ Widmar responded that the terminal was the
responsibility of the Fresno Fire Department.

"There is specialized training as it relates to what we do," Widmar said.
"Our firefighters don't do structural fires, and theirs don't do aircraft
fires."

Fire Chief Randy Bruegman said the change allows employees to focus on one
specialty.

"It integrates police and fire into the city's public safety units,"
Bruegman said. "During major emergencies training, response and
communication are important."

Bruegman said firefighters assigned to the airport will be treated as a
specialty unit similar to the hazardous response and rescue teams.

"First, we'll teach them to be firefighters," Bruegman said.

Bennink said the transition will amount to "seamless coverage."

He said the advantages to having a single police department is that the
officers will have greater depth of experience from having worked the
streets of Fresno.

The officers assigned to the airport will have additional duties as required
by the Transportation Security Administration.

Included in Mayor Alan Autry's $765 million budget approved Tuesday was the
reorganization of public safety at the airport. Budget documents state that
the consolidation will "provide a greater depth of resources, skills and
knowledge and continue a regionalization approach to public safety."

Bruegman said the cost will remain about the same as last year.

The Airports Department's operating budget will increase about 26%, or about
$2.8 million, this fiscal year. The bulk of the increase -- $2.3 million --
comes from costs associated with Mexicana Airlines' operating at the
airport.

The money would pay for inspection facilities and airport salaries, with the
aim of reaching an agreement with Mexicana Airlines. Autry has said the
first Mexicana flights between Guadalajara, Mexico, and Fresno could start
in December.


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