Formation of the Joint Powers Association
In an effort to provide quality fire service instruction, despite a lack of adequate training facilities and costly and limited real estate, four central California cities signed an agreement, contributing $10,000 each towards the purchase of training equipment and apparatus. Out of this agreement grew the Joint Powers Association, made up of the cities of Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, and the Mid-Carmel Valley Fire Protection District.
A second problem to be overcome was that even if a suitable location for training facilities could be found, manpower and apparatus could not travel out of their respective jurisdictions. A solution was to institute the mobile training concept.
The first portable piece of apparatus purchased by the Joint Powers Training Association was a 40-foot high, hydraulically operated training tower. The Carmel Valley Fire Protection District bought into the association with a gas-powered tractor to pull the training tower to the different agencies.
With the passage of Proposition 13 (a tax incentive by the voters to reduce escalating property taxes), fiscal restraints were set on small fire departments that based their budget for the most part on property taxes.
Cutbacks came and the axe fell heavy on training budgets, causing departments to look at alternative funding sources to provide this most needed resource. They began looking into the Joint Powers Training agreement, but a problem existed with the initial $10,000 contribution. The association’s policy committee, representing the five member agencies, established creative financing so that smaller departments and districts could take advantage of the training aids and equipment belonging to the association. Terms and agreements were made, allowing the smaller fire departments to join the association at $2,000 a year for five years.
The Joint Powers Association grew from five members to ten agencies, adding Carmel Highlands Fire Protection District, California Department of Forestry Service Districts 42 and 43, North Monterey County, and the City of Seaside. The monies added to the coffer of the Joint Powers Association created a solid fiscal base.
A sub-organization known as the Joint Powers Training Officers was established, whose responsibility is to utilize an individual department’s existing equipment in training exercises and recommend future training needs for its members.
Once the training officers committee was formed, additional equipment purchases were made, such as a flow meter drafting assembly, slide programs, video camera, fire simulator, etc.
One of the mutual concerns of the training officers was testing and instructing firefighters in the use of self-contained breathing apparatus, which was addressed by the construction of the portable smoke maze (see main article).
