CSUCI FIRE SERVICES BLASTED GRAND JURY CRITICIZES RESPONSE TIMES, LACK OF ON-CAMPUS FIREFIGHTERS.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

A Ventura County grand jury probe has called fire services at California State University, Channel Islands, inadequate, with response times at least three minutes longer than professional standards dictate.

The report released Friday also concluded that the university strains county finances by drawing on fire district resources without paying extra for them. Stretching such resources could weaken services to all county residents, grand jurors concluded.

A firehouse at the 2,500-student school, located on 670 acres in Camarillo, is staffed with 12 emergency medical technicians, but there is no firefighting presence.

A spokeswoman for the university, which opened last fall, said students and faculty members are not in jeopardy.

``We follow the state standard for fire safety,'' Peggy Hinz said. ``Any recommendations from the community officials will be taken seriously.''

University President Richard Rush was unavailable for comment, as were other top officials who were traveling. The remote Camarillo campus previously contracted with the Ventura County Fire Department, first for part-time services and later for full-time services at a price of $1.2 million annually. One engine, a car and a few firefighters staffed a firehouse, formerly used by Camarillo State Hospital.

But the school canceled that contract in late 2000, citing budgetary constraints, the report said.

The grand jury recommended that the school reconsider a contract with the county to improve response times and include sprinklers in all housing.

The campus is now poised for a population boom, with 100 apartment units for staffers just opened and a 207-unit complex about to be completed - all part of a 900-unit development on campus.

The planned developments would further strain the department and put those on campus at greater risk, according to the report. Chief Bob Roper of the Ventura County Fire Department said any compromise in fire safety could create liability problems.

``I don't care if they have their own (firefighters) or contract with us,'' he said. ``It's my responsibility as a public safety official that if I see something in my area not up to industry standard I either fix it or I put up those responsible for it.''

The benchmark for response times is 3 minutes to 5 minutes for emergency medical services and 5 to 7 minutes for fires. Those times are determined by the point at which a situation becomes dire. For instance, after 5 to 7 minutes, a fire will spread from the point of ignition to envelop a whole area.

The average county time is under 8 minutes, Roper said.

The nearest fire station to the campus, Station 50, has a 10- to 12-minute response time.

Tobie Tufillaro, a 25-year-old art major, was unworried by the report.

``They have evacuation procedures posted in nearly every single hallway,'' she said. ``I know that safety is an important issue to all the faculty I run into, so this is not a concern for me.''