Canyon Lake Fire Chief’s first month a busy one

Interim Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse has already put the City of Canyon Lake’s future fire department on solid footing. In his first month, the first major pieces of equipment, two fire engines, have been obtained via leases, Jeff has applied for large grants and he is putting together the fire department budget.

The City of Canyon Lake Fire Department will take over fire and emergency services from the county, with which the city has contracted since the city’s inception, on Jan. 1. Jeff has been tasked with creating this new fire department for the city by managing all aspects of its creation.

Interim Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse. Photo by Ariana Shah

Over the past month, the chief has successfully designed and ordered two new fire engines for Canyon Lake’s future Station 60.

“Equipment and staffing for the Canyon Lake Fire Department will meet or exceed Riverside County and State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) standards,” Jeff said.

For example, a Type I engine must meet specific equipment standards. The engine must have a fire pump capable of flowing at least 1,000 gallons of water per minute, a water tank with at least 300 gallons, at least 1,200’ of 2½” fire hose, 500’ of 1½” fire hose, three ground ladders (24’, 14’ and 10’), and a master stream nozzle that will flow at least 500 GPM.

The second factor in being considered a Type I engine is the number of firefighters who are assigned to the engine. The current engine set to Canyon Lake has three firefighters assigned, which is standard across Riverside County.

“The new Canyon Lake Fire Department will always have at least three full-time, fully trained and certified firefighters assigned,” Jeff said. “In addition, we are going to establish a robust reserve firefighter program and plan to have reserve firefighters on-duty each day serving alongside our full-time personnel. When the city begins fire operations on Jan. 1, we will exceed the equipment standards and meet the personnel requirements established by the state.”

In addition to these fire engine purchases, the city applied for an “Assistant to Firefighters Grant ” from FEMA. The $72,000 grant is intended to fund a source capture diesel exhaust system. Diesel fumes are a known carcinogen and a potential health concern to firefighters. This new system would be installed in each of the apparatus bays at the fire station, capturing the engines’ exhaust and venting it outside.

The city is also working on a grant application that would provide funding for additional firefighters. In addition to the purchase of equipment and grant applications, Jeff has been working hard to finalize the new fire department’s budget, meeting with stakeholders, negotiating agreements and drafting the policies that will guide operations.

The new chief plans to provide monthly updates to the City Council and keep the general public informed of the progress being made to establish the new Canyon Lake Fire Department.

Jeff said he looks forward to addressing all aspects of installing a fire department, including questions from residents.