Meet the New Fire Chief

Born in Iowa, Mark moved with his family to California when he was only three.  He is now 51, and has spent his entire professional career as a member of the Downey Fire Department.  Mark joined the Downey Fire Department on July 3, 1989, which is exactly twenty-five years next week, and before that he attended the Rio Hondo Fire Academy.   He did part-time jobs for the Department, acting as dispatcher over the weekends in Whittier, Santa Fe Springs and Downey, because getting all the experience necessary to join the Downey Fire Department was his goal.

After being accepted and trained as a Downey Fireman, he qualified as a Paramedic and then moved up to being an Engineer, which means being the driver of a ladder truck, a new skill to learn. In 1998 he was promoted to the rank of Captain, which made him responsible for training the twenty-one people at Fire Station number One.

 In 2010, he became Battalion Chief, which means he was the chief officer in the Downey Fire Department, with responsibility for programs, training and facilities, apparatus, and search and rescue teams.  As Assistant Fire Chief he has been the liason with City Hall and that means working with the city Fire Marshalls, who conduct annual inspections of local business locations. 

The Department wants to maintain a fire-safe community but still respect the financial strain of, say, retro-fitting all residential properties with water sprinkler systems.  Within the last year, at the City voters’ request, one fire truck, the temporary victim of a budget cut, was added back to one of the stations.

“I love taking on projects and making things better.  Downey [Fire Department] is a great department and is well respected.”  One of Chief Gillaspie’s jobs will be to bring a sense of reconciliation to the department after the recent acrimonious dispute on ballot measure B, whether to relinquish local control over the Fire Department. After an ugly campaign, during which the rank and file of our Fire Department gave Chief Lonnie Croom a vote of no confidence, Croom resigned, effective August 1.  Mark Gillaspie has been named to replace him, as of the same date.

Some firefighters belong to the International Association of Firefighters, or “the Association,” and they tried to convince the citizens of the City of Downey to contract with Los Angeles County for fire protection, instead of having its own Department.  The great majority of voters defeated that motion, but everyone feels confident that the professionalism of all the firefighters has always meant a dedicated effort to save lives and property, no matter how the affected resident voted.  Mark feels his task in the next five years is to restore Departmental morale.

In answer to questions from the floor, Mark stated that an analysis of the Downey Fire Department showed that the stations receive over four thousand calls a year, and that a little over 80% of the volume concerns medical needs.  Less than 20% concern fires.  Downey maintains the national average expectation, which means having a presence on the scene within five minutes of receiving a call.  At present this involves sending both a fire truck and a paramedic truck to respond.

“If the Fire Department paramedics come to your rescue, can you specify that you want to be taken to Downey PIH (Presbyterian Intercommunity) Hospital?”  The answer to that one is, you can ask, and they will try to comply, but if the Emergency Room there is saturated, you will be taken to the next nearest Emergency Room.   “But we do take over 90% of our patients to Downey PIH, or to Kaiser in Downey.”

There is a supplemental insurance program to which all Downey residents can subscribe, which covers the cost of emergency medical transport originating in the City. The form comes with your water bill, and costs $48.  Without it you can be billed at least $1521.75 for Advanced Life Support (paramedic) transport.  Buy it and then be sure to display your policy near your door or in the kitchen, so first responders know you are covered, Chief-designate Gillaspie advised us.