Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told the Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday that she has canceled an agreement with the Orange County Fire Authority on search-and-rescue operations.
The sheriff and firefighters have had issues over how to respond to emergencies from the air. The sheriff has a helicopter in the air for most of the day and typically can respond to an emergency faster than the OCFA’s helicopter, which lifts off only when summoned.
The dispute came to a head during a Laguna Beach incident in which there was a near drowning and the sheriff’s helicopter got there first.
Supervisor Todd Spitzer asked Hutchens about the status of the memorandum of understanding between the two agencies.
“Where are we going with this, what should the board be concerned about?” Spitzer asked. “At the end of the day, the public just wants to know services were rendered.”
Hutchens said her staff is working on a new agreement with the fire authority.
“It’s a 60-day notice, but we are continuing to meet to establish protocols,” Hutchens said. “The capability of air support has changed over time. With the Orange County Sheriff’s Department our capabilities have increased.”
The sheriff added, “Both (OCFA) Chief (Jeff) Bowman and I are in total agreement that the most important thing in the county is to provide those resources to someone on the ground as safely and quickly as necessary.”
The sheriff said her staff is looking at what other counties are doing to coordinate services between police and firefighters.
“I felt strongly we needed a new MOU, so there’s no confusion as to how we should respond,” Hutchens said.
–City News Service