Embattled SoCal Fire Chief To Retire
'No confidence' vote issued by union amid complaints
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA
November 8, 2007

Chula Vista's fire chief said yesterday that he will retire - in part
because firefighters criticized his leadership, including his handling of
last month's Harris fire, which threatened homes in the city.

Chula Vista firefighters yesterday issued a vote of "no confidence" in Chief
Douglas Perry. Steve Miller, president of the Chula Vista firefighters
union, said 88 of 107 uniformed firefighters supported the resolution.

Miller said firefighters have long complained of a lack of leadership and
"stagnation" in the Fire Department, but the situation worsened recently
when budget cuts threatened to close a fire station.

Then the Harris fire forced the evacuation of 1,500 homes in eastern Chula
Vista on Oct. 22 and 23. The Fire Department's effort lacked coordination,
with three of its chief officers at one point ending up in one spot to
oversee the firefighting because each didn't know where the others were,
Miller said.

It was a duplication of efforts that could have been avoided, he said.