The firefighters union issued a no-confidence vote against fire Chief Willis

This letter has been submitted to Big Bear Fire Authority Board of Directors:

Chairman Green denied the association a meeting to discuss these topics in person. We have been limited to 300-word submission. Please excuse this blunt submission.

We the Big Bear Professional Firefighters Association (BBPFA) respectfully and begrudgingly submit this official notice regarding our super majority Vote of No Confidence for the Fire Chief of our organization, Jeff Willis.

Chief Willis has successfully navigated a difficult merger. However, the political posturing, leveraging, and extreme operational neglect Chief Willis has participated in over the past 8 years cannot continue. The Chief has repeatedly misrepresented the labor forces wishes and has degraded our reputation to the board to fulfill his own contractual negotiations.

Since the merger in 2012 we have not replaced a piece of firefighting apparatus. BBFD does not have a working budget for apparatus replacement. Chief Willis prioritizes a bloated administration while running a budget deficit without regard to public safety. Our budget shortfalls are the clearest example of incompetent leadership.

Chief Willis has consistently failed on his planned operational directives. Additionally, we still have 2 person engines, an unsustainable staffing model and we are ignored on basic labor needs. Most egregiously, he repeatedly prioritizes administration and political issues over our ability to protect the community.

It is with great hesitation that we forge this letter. We hesitate because it is within our nature to work as a team and operate within the chain of command. We cannot trust that our Fire Chief has our labor group, and our valleys best interest at hand any longer.

We have further examples of fiscal irresponsibility and conduct unbecoming of a Fire Chief. The BBPFA does not support a contract renewal and supports the immediate removal of Fire Chief Jeff Willis.