SLO County fire chief leaves after less than a year on the job. What’s next?
The Cambria Community Services District has “ended the employment agreement” of its fire chief after weeks of speculation about his future in the North Coast town, the district’s top official said.
In a news release Tuesday, district general manager Matthew McElhenie confirmed the departure of Cambria Fire Chief Justin Vincent after less than a year on the job.
The move came after “the general manager’s comprehensive review and careful consideration,” the release said. “The separation results from a detailed examination and investigation of fire department operations.”
Vincent was hired in November to replace retiring Fire Chief William Hollingsworth.
The search for a new fire chief will begin in the next six months, the district said.
In the interim, Cambria Fire Department Capt. Michael Burkey will “assume the responsibilities of the fire chief to ensure the seamless operation and readiness of our fire department,” the CSD said in the release.
“We ask for the community’s support and cooperation as we move forward,” McElhenie said.
Vincent had not responded to requests for comment as of early Tuesday afternoon.
Cambria CSD falls behind on weed removal
There had been hints as early as Sept. 15 about Vincent’s future.
That’s when McElenie updated constituents via email about the efforts to remove flammable materials from undeveloped lots to reduce potential fuel for fires.
The Cambria Fire Department works to clear weeds, grass and other fuel from vacant properties, while the CSD gives property owners several months to clear the lots or hire someone to do it for them.
The district then hires an independent contractor to complete the weed abatement and charges each landowner for work done on their property.
Due to heavy growth caused by winter rains and the addition of new parcels, the CSD needed to clear nearly 2,000 lots, a 200% increase from the previous year, McElhenie said.
“I had been told we were on track to have these declared public nuisance lots cleared by our deadline” of Sept. 18, McElhenie wrote in his community email.
On Sept. 11, McElhenie wrote, he learned that “this was not the case and that our contractor had fallen severely behind.”
“I do not know why this happened; I do not know why this was not brought to my attention, but it is my responsibility,” McElhenie said. “As such, I am here to take responsibility for fixing it. We will make sure this is addressed to provide for a safer Cambria.”
McElhenie later told The Tribune via email that the Cambria Fire Department was “reporting to me with each fire captain acting as duty chief for the day” — indicating, but not confirming, that Vincent was no longer in charge.
““The remainder of the crew is on the fire engine, fully staffed,” McElhenie said. “We have our three very capable captains who have taken the lead on daily command responsibilities.”
Why has weed abating taken so long this year?
According to the fire department, more than 555 vacant parcels failed to be cleared by the deadline.
Two firms — Michael Rice Landscaping and another firm that McElhenie didn’t identify — have historically cleared lots for their clients and competed for the CSD’s clearing contract before the deadline.
According to a weed abatement notice on the district’s website, the annual number of uncleared lots usually ranges between 50 and 150 lots.
This year, as usual, Rice cleared his customers’ parcels before the start of the mid-August start of district’s contract.
For some reason, McElhenie told the North Coast Advisory Council during its Sept. 20 meeting, the new owner of the other firm did not do that, and people who own about 300 other lots that needed weed clearing reached out to Rice to do the work.
Once the GM learned of the problem Sept. 11, he instructed firefighters and the district’s Facilities and Resources staff to start clearing weeds from the CSD’s properties and other lots.
On Sept. 18, he met with Rice and hired another firm to help complete the work. How the CSD will pay for the overtime and other unbudgeted weed-abatement expenses hasn’t been announced.
Under contract deadlines, Rice originally had a month and a week in which to complete weed clearing this year.
The target proved to be impossible to meet, he told The Tribune, due to weather and other factors.
The North Coast saw 33 inches of rain in the winter and unusually late spring rains, the veteran landscaper said, and the dense weeds stayed wet longer than usual in the season.
“It’s much harder, and sometimes impossible, to cut wet weeds,” Rice said. “It’s like trying to cut cooked spaghetti.
“We’ve had a tough time getting and keeping workers, no matter what we pay them,” he added. “The weeds are so thick, and there’s a lot of poison oak out there. If we can find and hire crews, most of them don’t stay longer than a week.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 3:12 PM.
