FIREFIGHTERS NOW WRITING TICKETS : LONGSTANDING AUTHORITY USED FOR FIRST TIME AGAINST CODE VIOLATORS.

Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer

Besides the usual hoses, yellow slickers and ladders, Ventura County firefighters now bring along a new tool - ticket books.

Beginning this month, county firefighters have been empowered to write citations for fireworks possession, safety violations or parking in fire zones.

``It's a more efficient use of the department's resources,'' said Larry Williams, a fire inspector for the Ventura County Fire Protection District. ``It will save us time.''

Although firefighters are considered ``peace officers of limited power'' with authority to write citations, the county did not do so until now, said department spokeswoman Sandi Wells.

``We have not done that in the past,'' Wells said. ``But we thought that it was an important part of our jobs to also be involved in enforcement.''

Until this month, only fire inspectors and prevention officers wrote citations for misdemeanors. Fire engine companies did inspections, but were powerless to cite repeat violators.

``They are the first line of inspection,'' said Williams. ``They were having problems with people complying. With a limited number of inspectors to follow up, it took awhile. . . . Once people realize they can get a citation, they're liable to correct it the first time out.''

Last month the department trained about 400 firefighters, engineers and captains to write tickets for infractions. The engine companies began issuing citations July 1.

Firefighters will carry ticket books in their engines and write citations for possession of fireworks, even the state-approved ``safe and sane'' type legal elsewhere. They will also have the authority to confiscate fireworks.

In addition, firefighters will write tickets for violations of the uniform fire code. For example, Wells said, a firefighter might cite a business for lacking fire extinguishers or having improper fire exits or overcrowded conditions.

``We'll have the Sheriff's Department there to assist us in physical arrests if we need to do that,'' Wells said.

Ken Maffei, president of the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association, said engine companies often visited violators several times to ask that problems be corrected.

``Before, we just did inspections and tried to do it the nice-guy way,'' said Maffei, a captain at Fire Station 30 in Thousand Oaks. ``It didn't really work.''

Still, Maffei said, many firefighters had misgivings about taking a more confrontational stance.

``We honestly have kind of mixed feelings about it, even now,'' he said. ``If I wanted to be a cop, I'd be a cop. Firefighters are kind of the innocent, nice guys. Now people are going to think we're like police officers. But on the other hand, I'm tired of people wasting my time by not following the law.''