Letter from Former Sebastopol Interim Fire Chief Calls for Changes in Department

Details of a letter former Sebastopol interim fire chief Jack Piccinini sent to the city council before he stepped down are being made public. The letter was sent November 1st, two days before he stepped down. Piccinini told the city to address staffing issues within its volunteer fire department, warning that public safety is at risk. He says the volunteer fire department can no longer offer 24-hour staffing, and urged the department to switch to a career firefighter model. Sebastopol is facing a nearly one-point-seven-million-dollar budget deficit and has a hiring freeze in place. Last week, it declared a fiscal emergency.