CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Within the past month and a half, the fire chiefs for both the Corpus Christi Fire Department and Emergency Services District 2 have both retired.
As CCFD Fire Chief Robert Rocha ends his 11-year-term with the city, ESD#2 hopes for a fresh start in the conversation about its future.
ESD#2's recently appointed fire chief Weston Beseda said while conversations about absorbing his district into CCFD are still going on, the emergency services they provide will not stop.
"We hope that a new chief will allow for a breath of fresh air, maybe some different conversations. But at the end of the day, the goal is not going to change. The service to the citizens must remain," he said.
After a week of more discussion in Flour Bluff about the future of ESD #2, Beseda said they will keep working for the community regardless of calls from CCFD to absorb their fire department.
"It's never going to affect our ability to serve the public," he said. "We're still going to get on the fire truck, we're still going to get on the ambulance, we're still going to respond to the emergencies."
Rocha said it comes down to taxes. He believes CCFD could absorb ESD 2's budget of about $1.3 million -- and still provide those services.
Beseda disagrees with claims from CCFD that ESD #2's taxes are redundant.
"Redundancy is impossible in emergency services because people are always going to call 911 and services are going to be stretched to their limits," he said. "So, having the maximum amount of available responders is what's most important."
Beseda also worries for his staff. New CCFD recruits must be younger than 35. But 40 percent of Beseda's staff is older than that. Rocha said he's not looking to fire anyone -- although their responsibilities could change.
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