Olancha Cartago Fire Department Former Chief Chelsea Benbrook made this statement at the Olancha Community Services Regular Board Meeting, September 19, 2024.

Failing EMS systems is a problem nationwide. Our Volunteer EMS collapse has been on the horizon and after the fall of Symon‘s ambulance in Bishop, I knew we were entering into an opportunity phase in Olancha. We are vulnerable here on the outskirts of the county but fortunate to lie on the 395 corridor and also unfortunate because of the added geography to cover for our small and diminishing population. 80% of our total call volume is helping tourists and traffic collisions along 395.

The brave people who respond to these scenes are paid a $20 flat rate per call, so it’s safe to say the incentive isn’t salary-related. People are vulnerable. Vulnerable to motorists driving high speeds, vulnerable to blood-borne pathogens, vulnerable to the effects of PTSD. No leader should lose sight of the potential liability people enter into when they volunteer at their local fire department. These brave few need to be protected through high-quality training, equipment, facilities, and services.

Department decisions need to be made in accordance with the law and the mission statement. What is our mission statement?

We need to cast a wide net to find people willing to collaborate and plan for the current and future stabilization of our department. and they’re out there. and more than willing to help.

For example, when I took office there were no radio communications with Dispatch, mutual aid, or ourselves. It was a massive safety issue. No one was aware of our communication problem except for us and our mentality was “This is how it is and it can’t be fixed”. When I alerted chiefs and county departments they cared, they helped immediately.

Through the collaboration efforts of Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and CalOES, The Cerro gordo repeater was brought back online, solving our radio problems, and putting them back in service.

The collaboration efforts with Inyo chiefs, the EMCC, and county departments allowed for a cost-free EMS class held in Southern Inyo and a $25,000 infusion to OCFD from county funds (our tax dollars) to bolster EMS.

Through collaboration with CalOES and the Inyo task force we were able to become a Cal OES resource and increase the OCFD budget by nearly $400,000 and pay salary wages to OCFD volunteers. Through collaboration with China Lake Federal Fire, we were able to ask for their assistance on 911 calls in the south tip of Inyo County when no one else was available.

I can continue to list examples of how collaborating with outside agencies vastly improved the safety, operations, and services of Olancha Cartago Fire Department.

The point is that improvement and stabilization of our department does not rest on the five individuals making up the current OCSD governing board. It’s going to be a massive team effort, requiring transparency, vulnerability, and collaboration.

**The following was written between the community meeting and public board meeting on 9/19/24 in response to the public comments and discussion at the community meeting**

I’m not offended by anything said tonight. I am comfortable with how I spent my time in the department. A person has limited resources which emphasizes the need to include who expresses true interest and is willing to lend their precious resource of time. All of our time is limited here. I am a member of this community, it is my hometown, the only one I have. I will always continue to come and go from this community- it’s a lifelong investment and I would like to continue lending time I have to strategize for the future. Times have changed so much over the past 10, 20 years. It’s a new world, a new county administration, a new way to connect with people from longer distances. Let’s capitalize on our resources and value each other for what we are worth. We deserve to feel valued.