Barstow Fire Department staffing to remain short

BARSTOW – After a hard-fought battle, Measure D failed.

The final count fell a little more than 10 percentage points short of the two-thirds majority needed for the sales tax increase measure to pass.

It came as a blow to the supporters who campaigned for the measure and as a relief to business owners who campaigned against it. The measure was initially proposed as a solution to short staffing at the Barstow Fire Protection District, and the Barstow Police Department was later added to it.

The expenditure plan included hiring more firefighters and police officers, setting up a paramedic squad for the fire district, and bringing a canine unit to Barstow Police Department.

Barstow Fire Protection District Chief Darrell Jauss said morale at the station was low Wednesday.

“It’s a big blow, because we knew we tried to educate the community and tell them where their public safety stands,” he said.

The measure’s failure may mean some cutbacks in the department’s budget, Jauss said. In the short term, he did not anticipate laying off any firefighters. But to cut back on overtime costs, the district will need to rethink its engine staffing and may have to occasionally remove an engine from service for lack of staff, he said.