Councilman Gary Miller and former Council Member Patty Campbell must be completely delusional.
Their attacks on City Manager David Carmany regarding the new fire station are totally unfounded and demonstrate no understanding of Seal Beach’s public safety needs.
Miller and Campbell wanted fire station 48 on Beverly Manor Road remodeled not torn down and rebuilt.
The city of Seal Beach was required to replace fire station 48 under agreement with the Orange County Fire Authority. Miller and Campbell won’t acknowledge that fact and prefer to dwell on conspiracy theories and gossip regarding our City Manger.
During my 10 years as a reserve firefighter in Seal Beach I spent countless hours at fire station 48 and can say its replacement was long overdue.
Fire station 48 was 41 years old, failed to meet basic seismic standards and was in such disrepair parts were deemed unsafe for entry.
Further, its size, physical configuration and basic facilities failed to meet the demands of common activities that occur in a fire station today.
Also lacking were separate facilities for female firefighters. By opposing the new fire station Campbell and Miller must think our male and female firefighters should be showering together.
But don’t confuse Miller or Campbell with the facts.
A fire station is more than a place where you park a fire engine. It’s a public safety facility where the people who protect our lives and property work, live, eat and sleep for 24 to 72 hours at a time.
During a disaster it’s where vital emergency management functions essential to our community’s safety take place. Building any new public facility is always controversial and by any measure an enormous undertaking.
I appreciate that four of our Council Members and City Manager recognize the need and are committed to the task.
By my estimate we have one more fire station and a police facility that need your attention as well. Keep up the good work gentlemen.
Shawn Boyd
Seal Beach
