Lompoc Firefighters Association

Lompoc Firefighters Association The firefighters of Lompoc City are represented by the Lompoc Firefighters Association, Local 1906 of the International Association of Firefighters.

How much does firefighter turnover cost YOU, the taxpayer?Using a standard employee turnover cost formula, the City’s fa...
08/24/2026

How much does firefighter turnover cost YOU, the taxpayer?

Using a standard employee turnover cost formula, the City’s failure to retain firefighters has cost the taxpayer an estimated $4.2 MILLION. This estimate does not include the cost of regular wages, or the overtime costs required to fill the vacancies left behind.

These costs include recruiting, hiring, training, protective equipment, certifications, and years of professional development. Every step is paid for by Lompoc taxpayers.

When experienced firefighters leave the department, years of your investment leaves with them.

Replacing experienced firefighters is costly. Keeping them is far less expensive. The price of turnover is ultimately paid by the taxpayers of Lompoc.

Retention isn’t just about staffing, it’s about protecting the public’s investment.

KSBY News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk Lompoc Record Santa Barbara Independent Edhat Santa Barbara Santa Barbara News-Press

Over 100 years.That’s how much firefighting experience the Lompoc Fire Department has lost to neighboring fire departmen...
08/02/2026

Over 100 years.

That’s how much firefighting experience the Lompoc Fire Department has lost to neighboring fire departments over the last 10 years.

Over the last decade, Lompoc has lost more than a CENTURY of firefighting experience that can’t be replaced overnight. Every firefighter who leaves takes with them emergency response experience, local knowledge, and technical expertise.

Hiring a new firefighter fills a vacancy, but it doesn’t replace experience. Experience in the fire service is built one emergency call at a time.

Former Lompoc firefighters now hold some of the highest ranks in neighboring departments. Lompoc Fire doesn’t struggle to produce excellent firefighters, it struggles to keep them.

The loss of experience has real consequences on the community. Without experienced firefighters to promote, Rescue 51 sits empty. When that happens, Lompoc residents wait longer for help.

The question isn’t “Why don’t they just hire more firefighters?” The question is “Why are so many experienced firefighters leaving?”

KSBY Lompoc Record News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk Santa Barbara News-Press Santa Barbara Independent Edhat Santa Barbara

Our department has a retention problem.For years, experienced firefighters have left Lompoc for better opportunities at ...
07/28/2026

Our department has a retention problem.

For years, experienced firefighters have left Lompoc for better opportunities at neighboring fire departments.

The facts speak for themselves:
▪️Over the last four years, the department hired 13 new firefighters to keep just 9 budgeted firefighter positions filled.
▪️In the last ten years, 21 firefighters have left the Lompoc Fire Department- a department of approximately 30 personnel.
▪️These departures span the ranks from Firefighters to Fire Chiefs.

The numbers tell a clear story- our department has become a revolving door.

This isn’t an isolated trend, it’s a pattern we’ve watched for years.

Our turnover rate is so significant that we can no longer staff one of our frontline response vehicles.

Lompoc Fire does not struggle to produce excellent firefighters, it struggles to keep them.

KSBY Lompoc Record News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk Santa Barbara Independent Edhat Santa Barbara Santa Barbara News-Press

That’s how many Engineer positions are currently vacant in our department. More vacancies are expected this year, which ...
07/21/2026

That’s how many Engineer positions are currently vacant in our department. More vacancies are expected this year, which would increase that number to nearly half of all Engineer positions.

Most people think an Engineer’s job is simply driving the fire engine, but it’s much more than that.

Engineers are the department’s technical specialists responsible for operating the vehicles and equipment that protect Lompoc residents.

Becoming an Engineer takes years of experience, extensive training, and a rigorous promotional process.

They must be qualified to operate every emergency vehicle and be able to navigate to any address in the city, day or night, from memory.

Engineers aren’t hired. They’re developed internally over years.

When experienced Engineers leave faster than they can be replaced, the knowledge they’ve built isn’t replaced overnight.

That’s why retention matters.

This is the primary reason Rescue 51 remains browned out.

🚨When you call 911, you expect the fire department to respond immediately.When Rescue 51 is unavailable, you might be le...
07/15/2026

🚨When you call 911, you expect the fire department to respond immediately.

When Rescue 51 is unavailable, you might be left waiting.

To be clear, Rescue 51 is not broken. It’s sitting at the station without the qualified personnel needed to put it in service that day.

This is called a “brownout”.

The fuel tank is full. The equipment is on the truck. But the seats are empty.

A brownout occurs when an emergency response unit cannot be placed in service because there aren’t enough qualified personnel available to staff it.

The brownout isn’t the problem, it’s the symptom of years of firefighter retention challenges.

It’s a clear sign that those challenges now affect the level of emergency service available to Lompoc residents.

With Rescue 51 unavailable, Lompoc is relying on two fire engines to protect more than 45,000 residents.

When every second counts, you shouldn’t have to wait.

Santa Barbara News-Press Edhat Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Independent Lompoc Record KSBY News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk

🚨 ATTENTION LOMPOC RESIDENTS 🚨For the first time in department history, Rescue 51 is no longer a permanently staffed eme...
07/11/2026

🚨 ATTENTION LOMPOC RESIDENTS 🚨

For the first time in department history, Rescue 51 is no longer a permanently staffed emergency response unit.

Due to ongoing staffing and retention challenges, Rescue 51 can no longer be staffed on a daily basis. Unless daily staffing allows, Rescue 51 will be “browned out” and unavailable for any emergency response.

What does this mean for our community?

•⏱️ You may experience longer response times for certain emergencies.
• 🏘️A neighboring fire department may be dispatched to assist when Rescue 51 would normally respond.
• 👥The remaining on-duty crews will continue providing emergency services, but with fewer available resources.

Browning out an emergency response unit reduces the resources immediately available to serve Lompoc and keep our community safe.

This represents a significant change in the level of emergency service provided to our community.

IAFF Local 1906 remains committed to advocating for safe staffing levels and retention solutions that protect both our firefighters and the residents we proudly serve.

International Association of Fire Fighters California State Firefighters’ Association KSBY News News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk Lompoc Record

That was our Interim Fire Chief’s assessment of the Lompoc Fire Department.Here’s what he told City Council:• 🚒 5,300 em...
07/05/2026

That was our Interim Fire Chief’s assessment of the Lompoc Fire Department.

Here’s what he told City Council:

• 🚒 5,300 emergency calls every year- making our two stations among the busiest in Santa Barbara County.
• ⏰ THOUSANDS of hours of forced overtime every year just to maintain minimum staffing.
• 🚨 3 current vacancies (not including Fire Chief), with more already on the way.
• 😴 Fatigue, burnout, and retention are placing increasing strain on the system.
• 🏚️ Fire stations at maximum capacity with aging infrastructure.
• ⚠️ Current staffing levels are not sustainable long-term.

This is not just our opinion, this is our Interim Fire Chief’s honest assessment of the department.

Our system is strained.

The question is no longer “if” service will be affected. It’s already happening.

B-Shift had a rough wake up in the early morning hours for a cold plunge at 120psi. This specific hydrant is one of the ...
06/29/2026

B-Shift had a rough wake up in the early morning hours for a cold plunge at 120psi. This specific hydrant is one of the highest pressure in the whole city. With sheared hydrant calls there’s no way around it, you’re going back to the station soaked.

City of Lompoc www.cityoflompoc.com Santa Barbara County Regional Fire Communications Center California State Firefighters’ Association KSBY News Lompoc Record News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk Labor Union

Yesterday all Lompoc Fire resources, along with neighboring agencies, responded to a residential garage fire. Resources ...
06/29/2026

Yesterday all Lompoc Fire resources, along with neighboring agencies, responded to a residential garage fire. Resources arrived to find smoke and fire coming from a detached garage. Once accessed, the fire was brought under control.

City of Lompoc www.cityoflompoc.com Santa Barbara County Regional Fire Communications Center California State Firefighters’ Association KSBY News Lompoc Record News Channel 3-12 Noozhawk Labor Union Vandenberg FireDepartment Santa Barbara County Fire Dept Santa Barbara County Firefighters IAFF Local 2046

06/21/2026

Today is Father’s Day and we appreciate all the Dads that are at work and unable to be with their families. Whether it’s your regular duty day, or you’re “Forced” (working involuntarily), Happy Dad’s Day!

This morning in the early hours, E51 was dispatched to an electric vehicle fire. Luckily, the fire was extinguished before it spread to the EV batteries, but extrication tools were required to gain entry to the vehicle.

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115 S G Street
Lompoc, CA
93436

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