Letter to Lake Arrowhead Property
Owners.
August 12, 2008
This letter is intended to be part of
ongoing communications with Lake Arrowhead (LA) residents. Since the Lake
Arrowhead Volunteer Fire Department (LAVFD) is among your primary responders
to fire, property and, God forbid, life-threatening emergencies, we felt
obligated to open a direct communication line to all residents.
-Did you know? Lake Arrowhead
Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation originally
founded by LA residents to address emergency circumstances. All property
owners have automatic authority to vote on issues concerning LAVFD.
-Did you know? 70% of all front line
responders are volunteer’s – these are the brave folks who directly respond
to emergency calls. This ratio holds true in Cherokee County and
nationwide.
-Did you know? There are two paid
County firemen stationed at LA’s Station 17. They are on call by the County
for surrounding areas. During the severe storms of a couple of weeks ago,
they were pulled from LA and reassigned outside the property. Had the LAVFD
not been available, we would have been without immediate emergency coverage
at LA.
-Did you know? The majority of fire
equipment, including fire trucks, Gator, oxygen apparatus, etc is owned by
LAVFD. Funds for this equipment have come from various fund-raising
activities over the years. We have an agreement with the county whereby
they provide the funding for ongoing operations like maintenance, insurance,
etc.
WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH RESPECT
TO FACILITIES
-In the past, facilities used to house
fire/rescue equipment and perform weekly training regimens were leased by
the Developer directly to LAVFD
-About a year ago, the Developer sent
LAVFD a letter terminating our lease. After legal review, it was determined
they could not evict us until Sept. 30, 2008.
-In a follow-up letter dated May 2,
2008 the Developer sent another eviction notice with the September date. In
their letter, they stated “To avoid any misunderstanding…any prior offer to
provide alternative locations to Lessee has been withdrawn”.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
-Simply stated, we are without appropriate facilities effective September
30, 2008. There is no concrete plan or commitment for an alternative site to
the current Station 27 location.
-The Developer has stated in no uncertain terms, they will not enter into a
continuation agreement with LAVFD beyond the eviction date of September 30,
2008.
-To resolve the circumstances, County Commissioner Harry Johnston has, on
behalf of LAVFD, spearheaded an effort that led to a proposed lease
agreement between the County and the Developer. At best, the new facility
would be available in the Spring of 2009. The timing begs the question as to
what LAVFD is supposed to do in the interim – after all, how do we protect
and serve without facilities??
-While LAVFD is dramatically influenced by the decisions of the Developer
and the County, we are not directly or legally involved with their decision
making process.
LOOKING AHEAD
-As stated above, we have no viable facility plan or location commitment
beyond September 30, 2008. We are optimistic that concern for public
safety/common sense will prevail and LAVFD will be allowed to remain
domiciled at Station 27 until the alternative site is ready. Beyond our
optimism, there is nothing of substance to support our expectation.
-Separate from the facility discussion, looming ahead are some potentially
thorny issues involving LAVFD and the County – they have to do with coverage
area’s and reporting/responsibility. Will keep you posted as these issues
develop.
COMMENT
-Just a quick note to acknowledge and commend the highly trained folks who
serve as our front lines for virtually any type of emergency – these are
truly extraordinary people. They, like all of us, have jobs, kids, all of
life’s pressures and yet they manage to devote a significant amount of their
personal time to serving our community.
-These are special people who serve without the expectation of reward and
simply are committed to helping people above and beyond themselves. They
certainly have earned our trust and respect – we are proud to be associated
with them – you can be too!!
-Please note, this is our first attempt at communicating via email. Standard
letter mail is very expensive and time consuming.
-Kindly discuss the Station 27 issue with your neighbors also ask them if
they have received this email. If not, please forward them a copy or ask them to please check the LAVFD
website at
www.LAVFD.com.
-Stay SAFE!!
LAVFD – Board of Director’s