City Leaders Failed to Advocate for More Fire Resources
Last year, for example, OFD lost control of its hazardous-waste-inspection program, due to repeated failures to safely store toxic garbage, illegal contracts to ship materials, and mismanagement of funds. The state spent several years attempting to bring the program into compliance, but ultimately stripped OFD of the function and handed it to Alameda County, costing OFD $3 million a year
http://m.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-firefighters-say-their-department-is-so-badly-managed-ghost-ship-warehouse-wasnt-even-in-its-inspection-database/Content?oid=5055245
November 2015
Oakland's Toxic Failure
After Oakland failed for a decade to protect the public and firefighters from hazardous materials, the state stripped the city of these duties. And now investigators are looking into illegal shipments of toxic waste and the misuse of public funds.
City of Oakland and Arthur Young were breaking the law. Arthur Young Debris Removal has never been authorized by the state to transport hazardous waste, records show. And according to firefighters, the company's employees have never been trained to handle hazardous materials. Yet Oakland employed the company for years — without a contract — to pick up toxic chemicals from various locations around the city and to dispose of the waste, according to records obtained by the Express. From 2013 to the day of the interdicted waste shipment, the Oakland Fire Department paid Arthur Young Debris Removal $51,987 to transport and dispose of hazardous waste, according to city records obtained through a California Public Records Act request.
But the city's illegal shipments of toxic waste are just a small part of a much bigger problem that has festered for more than a decade. Public records and interviews with state regulators show that since the early 2000s, the Oakland Fire Department has repeatedly failed to protect city residents from hazardous materials stored and used at hundreds of locations, inspect businesses and other facilities, and enforce state hazardous materials laws.
http://m.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oaklands-toxic-failure/Content?oid=4572375
