
FIRE CHIEF / Templeton Community Services District Calif.
THE COMMUNITY Templeton is nearly at the halfway mark between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the heart of California’s beautiful Central Coast. It is a small, quiet community with a strong spirit and a vision to preserve its colorful past. It is one of several unincorporated areas in San Luis Obispo County that has land available for development. Our small community has a current population of approximately 8,000 with an estimated build-out population of 15,000.
Templeton is recognized for its scenic open space, temperate climate, friendly lifestyle, a local farmer’s market, and award-winning wineries, breweries and distilleries. Our old-town neighborhoods blend well with newer homes to create an excellent residential atmosphere, served by a school district with all sites accredited as “California Distinguished Schools”, three area parks, and numerous churches. Templeton’s small-town atmosphere belies its big town amenities including Twin Cities Community Hospital – the community’s largest employer and only in-patient facility in northern San Luis Obispo County, Trader Joe’s, destination restaurants and specialty shops, and a variety of service clubs and activities.
Templeton is a half hour drive to the Pacific Ocean, with many popular beaches, and lakes, such as, Nacimiento, San Antonio and Santa Margarita – providing ample opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to indulge in a myriad of water sports, camping or Fishing, while avid bicyclists can be seen cycling through the rural countryside. All of these attributes coupled with the town’s truly community supported events including, year-round Saturday Farmers Market, Concerts in the Park, Templeton Wine Festival, Fourth of July Celebration, Founder’s Day, and many more, make Templeton a truly exceptional place to live, work, and recreate.
THE DISTRICT Established in 1976, the District provides water, wastewater, ?re and emergency services, parks and recreation, refuse collection and disposal services, street lighting, and drainage for about a 3.5 square mile area. The District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors that is elected at large to staggered four-year terms. The District is supported by a dedicated full-time staff of 19, and an annual budget of about $6 million. THE DEPARTMENT Templeton Fire and Emergency Services has been providing services for more than 125 years to the community, dating back to the first Templeton Hose Company. Throughout much of the 20th century, the Department was all volunteer, and like many small-town fire departments, has been in a state of transition for many years, becoming more dependent on career staff. In August 2019, Templeton voters approved Measure A, a parcel tax expected to generate $486,000 annually for Fire and Emergency Services staffing, allowing Templeton Fire and Emergency Services to move to 24/7 staffed coverage. Beginning in later this year, the Department is expected to have 3 full-time Fire Captains, a Fire Chief, and an Engineer – it has only two full-time Captains today. Currently the station is staffed from 8-5 daily (full-time employees on a 4 on 2 off schedule), supplemented with part-time firefighters, with incentives for firefighters to stay the night to provide overnight coverage. The plan for implementing 24/7 station staffing, anticipated to begin in summer of 2020, staffing will increase to one full-time captain on 48/96 shift, with one part-time firefighter on 24 hours shifts to provide 24/7 coverage. This consists of a 6-day cycle where each team works one 48-hour shift followed by 4 consecutive days (96 hours) off duty. Additionally, a full-time Engineer will work a day shift, and will be available to relieve full-time Captains for vacation, training, etc.
The Department responded to nearly 1,000 calls for service in 2019, and enjoys very good relationships with neighboring agencies, including having reciprocal automatic and mutual aid agreements. Templeton Fire and Emergency Services also has its own training facility in the northern part of the District.
The Department provides Basic Life Support services, with Advanced Life Support services provided by San Luis Ambulance. All Templeton firefighters are registered EMTs.
The Fire Chief works under the direction of the General Manager and is a key part of the District’s Management team. The Chief performs a variety of technical and administrative work relating to the operations of the Department and is expected to participate directly in responding to calls for service of a non-routine nature, and participate as needed on more routine calls. Of?ce hours for the Department are Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, although the Chief is expected to monitor the Department’s calls and services after hours, and respond to calls where his/her skills and leadership may be needed.
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