Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of a series of articles on the Felton Fire Protection District. This installment is a focus on Felton’s new interim chief, Isaac Blum, and the strengths and vision he brings to the faltering department.
Felton Fire Protection District’s (FFPD) newest chief, Isaac Blum, is no stranger to fire departments or to serving the community of Felton. While he only leapt into the chief’s chair in early July of 2024, he has been a career firefighter for the past 24 years and began his career with FFPD as a volunteer at age 18.
Since then, he has worked with CalFire and the NASA Ames/Moffett Field Station, where he is still employed and has served for 19 years. Beginning in 1999, he served FFPD as a career firefighter for about 16 years before he separated from Felton in 2015. During his time with Felton, the district had a quasi-battalion position that allowed the senior-ranking captains to function as battalion coverage, so Blum not only stepped into that position, but also ran training and recruitment for FFPD.
When the CZU Fire rolled through the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2020, Blum reacquainted himself with then-chief Bob Gray. Upon learning of Gray’s impending retirement in 2023, Blum expressed his interest in the position, but the FFPD Board of Directors ultimately selected Dan Walters as their preferred candidate.
Unfortunately, Walters was only able to serve FFPD for six months due to issues surrounding his CalPers eligibility before the board was once again on the hunt for a departmental leader. This time, Blum was the perfect fit to help right the ship of FFPD.
Within just one day of his placement, Blum began a fact-finding mission on the actions of board member Mike Shults, who had removed the department’s water tender from service in June 2024 for 2.5 hours as he used it to fill his family’s swimming pool.
While that investigation ultimately resulted in a report drafted by Blum, legal counsel advised against the district taking any actions against Shults since a board quorum could not be fulfilled due to limited board members. (FFPD has a five-person board, meaning at least three directors must be present to constitute a quorum. With Shults needing to recuse from discussions surrounding his actions, that leaves only two voting members.)
In regards to the water tender incident, Blum said the department lacks the staffing capacity needed to take the water tender out for service, but didn’t downplay the poor decision-making Shults demonstrated. “Our numbers have gotten to the point where we’re struggling to make basic calls,” Blum said. He also said that during his previous years of service with FFPD, he had observed board members driving fire apparatus. “I’m not saying it’s normal or appropriate, but I’ve seen it,” Blum said.
There has been no forward momentum by the FFPD Board regarding appointing two new board members since their numbers dropped to three this past spring, leaving the current board hamstrung without a quorum and unable to take any disciplinary action against Shults. Most area boards will appoint new members when vacancies occur in order for the board to continue to function (SLVWD and SLVUSD both have a history of doing so).
There has not been any announcement thus far regarding the FFPD Board’s intention to welcome two new members before the November election. It’s a valid question that remains unanswered: Is the FFPD Board of Directors intentionally stalling the appointment process in the hopes that the upcoming election will gift the board with two members that are sympathetic to Shults’ plight, thereby allowing a quorum to act in favor of sparing Director Shults from any ramifications for his actions once they take their seats in January? There are at least two candidates (Judy Anderson and Doug Conrad) who are vocal supporters of the Anderson/Shults slate; their placement on the board would no doubt result in inaction against Shults.
Following that harrowing reintroduction to the district, Blum has set himself on a track to improve the financial health of the department and boost morale amongst the boots-on-the-ground responders (colloquially known as “the squad”). During a sit-down interview on Aug. 10, Blum was candid and forthright in his responses to multiple questions regarding the current status of the department.
In terms of trying to recalibrate the district and determine best practices, Blum stated that he was a little stunned when he walked through the door. “Regarding the district as a whole, I didn’t expect it to be in the condition that it’s in. I was aware of issues with morale, response and training, and shortcomings in existing programs and policies, but in defense of the squad, they’ve had a frequent turnover of chiefs,” Blum said.
Indeed, FFPD has seen leaders come and go in recent years: Ron Rickabaugh (1991-2019); Bob Gray (2019-2023); Dan Walters (November 2023-April 2024), with Dan Arndt appointed as Battalion Chief and Acting Chief from April to July of 2024.
Blum admitted to poor communication between the board and the squad previous to his joining the district and said he didn’t take the initial cool reception by personnel personally. “The board is not to address the squad or give directives, so with the vacuum created by the lack of a chief, or the lack of a strong chief, there were some hard feelings on both sides,” Blum said. He said that ultimately, both sides (board and personnel) want the same thing. “They all want us to respond, to be the best at our work, to have the best equipment on-hand and be the safest we can be,” Blum said.
It’s important to note that all fire district boards have one main responsibility: a fiduciary duty to the citizens of the district. While they should not be involved in operations, that line is frequently blurred when a crisis of leadership emerges. Blum said his personal take is that, at some point, department consolidation will occur, ultimately having all fire personnel report to the same leadership.
A 265-page report released in October 2021 by the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Cruz County (LAFCO) points to the potential for consolidation of 13 Santa Cruz County fire agencies, including Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Felton and Zayante. “Currently there is no talk of a merger, but there is discussion around contract for services. The intent of the Felton Fire District is not to secede; the intent is to acknowledge that we are challenged with staffing levels and budget, and we need assistance. Reaching out to our neighbors to request formal assistance is our next step,” Blum said.
During an Aug. 12 meeting, Chief Brownlee of Ben Lomond Fire and Chief Maxwell from Zayante Fire met with Chief Blum, and all agreed to a draft contingency, ensuring that the town of Felton would have reliable call coverage between the remaining squad members and supplemental out-of-district personnel. “Getting this assistance will allow us some breathing room to address recruitment, training and budgetary issues in order to continue the volunteer model of our services,” Blum said.
With fire service providers generating income from property taxes and service charges, the LAFCO report shows that the 4,052-acre area of service generated only $929,021 in fiscal year 2019-20, but spent $710,811, leaving a surplus of about $220,000, placing it above Boulder Creek and Zayante for revenue, but below Ben Lomond Fire. The same LAFCO report showed that FFPD does not meet minimum staffing standards as set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), with an average of one firefighter available to respond to calls.
LAFCO used to recommend a rural station like Felton to have a minimum staffing of nine firefighters on engines, but the current NFPA mandate is four firefighters. Felton attempted to abide by NFPA standards by hiring four paid personnel for the department earlier this year, but the resignation of three of the paid personnel leaves Felton Fire scrambling to adhere to the most basic metric requirements.
For all of Blum’s plans to address the issues with Felton Fire, he has only a few weeks to get things in gear; he’s currently on a limited contract with a 120-day agreement. “If at the end of that time the district wanted me to stay on, I’d have to consider that,” said Blum, who said that he requested the four-month contract in an effort to remove himself should a memorandum of understanding (MOU) be drafted with neighboring agencies.
“I wanted to limit the internal drama that might arise from having multiple leaders overseeing the district and ensure that my time here is not seen as a power grab,” said Blum, who is currently forgoing any pay for his contract. “My philosophy is that I owe Felton a lot. I started here as an 18-year-old volunteer under Ron Rickabaugh, who took a chance on me. Felton has prepared me for so much of my career, and I’ve always been indebted to the department. In light of the budget and staffing, [taking a paycheck] wasn’t what I wanted to do. If we can take that money (roughly $30,000) and invest it in another part-time firefighter to run calls, that’s the priority,” he said. For 2024, the line item in the FFPD budget for a chief is $180,000, so Blum is literally putting his money where his mouth is.
While Blum has woven his service with Felton into his professional career over the years, Blum’s wife and brother have each served as volunteers with FFPD as well. Part of the chief’s motivation for returning to serve the district was due to the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire in August 2020.
“About five years ago, my wife and I bought our forever home in Bonny Doon. It was a fixer, and we lived in a two-car garage with all six of us (the Blums have four children under the age of 15) for over a year in order to get the house to a point where we could live in it. Sadly, we moved into the main house the same week we lost it to the CZU Fire. I watched as it burned and no help came—no engines, no responders—which probably fuels some of my desire to make things right here at Felton. For the record, Felton has never failed to respond, but when districts fail things such as that can happen in extreme situations. As my experiences have made me who I am, so has that experience with CZU; it has provided the fuel I hope to get me through the tough times ahead with Felton,” Blum said.
Upcoming: The second half of the Blum interview, plus results from the Sept. 9 FFPD Board Meeting.
