In 2024, the Press Banner ran a series of articles and opinion pieces highlighting the difficulties that the Felton Fire Protection District (FFPD) was facing. From a board member misusing a piece of apparatus for personal gain to a slew of resignations within its ranks of boots-on-the-ground personnel, FFPD was struggling to stay afloat in the face of unmitigated PR disasters.
Enter Interim Chief Isaac Blum, a former FFPD volunteer, long-time Felton resident and captain with the NASA Ames Fire Department, formerly known as the Moffett Field Fire Department. Blum accepted the role as interim chief in early July 2024 for a quick 120-day contract. The plan was to get FFPD pointed in the right direction, and the board and Blum felt that his service to the department was the first step in accomplishing that goal.
In October 2024, FFPD announced an agreement between their department and Ben Lomond Fire Department (BLFD). Blum had fulfilled his duties as a stop-gap measure to keep the department functioning, and BLFD Fire Chief Stacie Brownlee was brought in as the new FFPD chief, allowing her to oversee both departments simultaneously and provide FFPD line support from the BLFD ranks. The new leadership strata found Brownlee with two direct reports: Assistant Chief Mike Ayers from BLFD and Blum as a second assistant chief.
Brownlee, who joined BLFD in 1984, became the first female firefighter in the San Lorenzo Valley and was appointed chief of the department in September 2018. Given her years of commitment, education and service to the community, her expertise was a natural fit for the vacuum of leadership that would surface pending the end of Blum’s contract. A deal was drawn up for Brownlee to take over as chief, and she stepped into the role with the full faith and confidence of BLFD behind her.
FFPD? Not so much. According to sources familiar with the situation, there were repeated instances where the board did not respect Brownlee’s authority—one board member allegedly referred to her as “sweetie.” This dismissive attitude appeared to influence the department’s squad, with some line personnel reportedly “badmouthing” Brownlee’s leadership to colleagues. These behaviors contributed to allegations of sexism and fostered a hostile work environment, which ultimately marked the beginning of the end for Brownlee’s role.
On April 22, Assistant Chief Blum resigned from his position with FFPD, effective immediately, citing his desire to do what was best for the department. At that point, the sheer hostility being shown toward Chief Brownlee was emerging from behind the scenes to a full-frontal assault for all to see.
At the May 5 FFPD board meeting, the last that Brownlee attended, a board member took her to task for line items on the budget despite the fact that Brownlee hadn’t been involved in its creation. During that same meeting, Auxiliary President Judy Anderson (ex-wife of current director Jim Anderson) discussed the upcoming Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast, one of the two fundraisers put on each year by the auxiliary. During the discussion, Brownlee asked for information as to what was needed from her crew of firefighters: how many volunteers, list of responsibilities, length of shift, etc. In response to Brownlee’s questions, Anderson replied that the auxiliary had been hosting this event for many years, and that everyone knew what was expected of them. Brownlee retorted that since this was her first year being involved with the event, and since the majority of the Felton firefighters were brand new to the district, she would need more precise information to share with the squad.
That was status quo for Brownlee’s tenure with the district, so it came as no surprise that the BLFD Board of Directors moved to protect their chief from the divisiveness of her service with FFPD, and sent that department notice of termination of the contract with BLFD on May 9, even going so far as to restrict FFPD’s communication with BLFD to just two members: Assistant Chief Mike Ayers, who was promoted to interim chief following that notice, and President/Chairman Lisa Hill. In just seven months, FFPD’s board had driven out the one person who had vowed to help get their department righted.
On May 12, following the announcement of the cancellation of the agreement between FFPD and BLFD, a special meeting was called for the Felton department. The FFPD board had determined that they needed to move from monthly to weekly meetings, ostensibly to address issues in a more timely fashion. The letter of separation was read into the minutes, but FFPD didn’t have an acting secretary on hand to take notes, so they turned to the next best person: former Chief Isaac Blum, who sat at the dais with pen and paper at the ready. FFPD Director Erica Schwanbeck requested clarification as to why Blum was seated at the front of the room with the board, and Board President Norm Crandell responded that Blum was “a concerned citizen,” glossing over the potential of Blum’s return to the chief’s seat following the fallout with Brownlee.
That same Monday night meeting saw two FFPD firefighters take to the podium to share their concerns regarding the department. Jamie Berlanga spoke passionately about wanting to serve the community, but voiced his discomfort about the lack of communication within the department and the lack of support that he and his fellow firefighters felt with the exit of Brownlee as chief. Despite the platitudes offered by board members, Berlanga turned in his gear and quit the department on May 13. Another firefighter followed suit and quit on May 15.
The May 19 meeting was called a “study session,” even though that moniker didn’t truly fit the circumstances, nor was it, or the May 12 meeting, properly noticed as required by the Brown Act. Attendees found Interim Chief Ayers taking notes at the front of the room, and Blum tucked into the back row of the audience, listening but saying nothing.
At that meeting, a decision was made that board members would begin attending the department’s weekly drills in an effort to demonstrate support for, and commitment to, the remaining squad members. This, despite the fact that it is not the board’s place to carry out these duties. The board of directors does not step in to assume the role of fire chief in the absence of one; they are responsible for hiring and maintaining the fire chief of their department, and the chief acts as a bridge of communication between the two groups.
The financial status of FFPD is tenuous. The department is looking to uncouple from its PERS (Public Employees Retirement System) commitment, which becomes an issue for drafting new talent into its ranks. The FFPD board had approved a proposal for the department to pay for any firefighters without EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) skills to attend EMT training and become certified. All told, the cost to send each firefighter through EMT training is a little under $2,000; while the board has committed to investing in their squad, there is no quid pro quo for the members who obtain their certification, meaning that any member can take their EMT education and move on to another department without satisfying any terms of service within FFPD.
With Brownlee having stepped away from FFPD, the board is again left with an absence of leadership for its squad. There are several options that may lie ahead for the department: FFPD could be dismantled, with the district cut in half to allow Zayante Fire to absorb one half and BLFD taking control of the other; the department could fall under the control of CalFire; or LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) could move forward with a plan of consolidation. According to the LAFCO website, on Aug. 7, 2024, the commission reviewed a feasibility study by AP Triton, which examined the impact of future annexations within existing sphere boundaries. Any annexation would require detaching those areas from County Service Area 48, which currently serves all unincorporated areas outside fire districts.
Felton Fire Protection District is quickly reaching a crossroads—not of brightly lit intersections, but one littered with emergency evacuation routes. The residents and business owners of Felton have a right to know the status of their fire department; although the board has promised that the safety of their squad and community is their top priority, it’s a daunting proposition for FFPD to move forward given the challenges they face.
The FFPD board meets monthly on the first Monday, with additional weekly meetings as needed. Meetings are open to the public at the station, 131 Kirby St. in Felton. More information is available at feltonfire.com.
