BEHIND THE HEADLINES:’I’m really excited about being here’

Newport Beach Fire Chief Steve Lewis asks himself questions every day. The rigorous self-evaluation he puts himself through runs five pages, raising issues including “Can you walk the talk?” and “Do you need to be told to do something and get punished if you do not do it, or do you choose to do something and take responsibility for it?”

It’s one sign of the energy and diligence he says he strives for.Lewis, 54, who was sworn in this week as Newport Beach’s sixth fire chief, replaced popular Chief Tim Riley, who retired Monday after a 15-year term. Coming from a stint as deputy chief of operations in Long Beach, Lewis won out over a pool of 65 applicants for the job. Lewis spoke this week about the perks and challenges of his new job.

Question: You were deputy chief of operations in Long Beach, but this is your first position where the buck stops with you. Nervous?

Answer: You’re right. Now I’m the final, final authority…. It’s not so different; in Long Beach there were a lot of times where it stopped with me. From the second you get into the fire service, out there on a call you’re making decisions about life and death in 10 or 15 seconds.

Q: You come from Long Beach, another beach city. What did you learn out there that you bring to Newport?

A: They have a lot in common. In my position in Long Beach the lifeguards answered to me, and dealing with them so much certainly helps; they’re a major part of the department here. Both places have airports … and we have to be ready for any potential incidents that might come out of that.

Q: What’s different about Newport Beach?

A: Topography. Absolutely topography. Water cuts a lot of things off from easy access. There are lots of hills and mountains. We have to deal with all of it.

Q: Do you think any areas are underserved or are challenging your resources?

A: Right now, no. We’re covering the whole area very well. But I think the south part of the city is going to be built out over the next few years. We need to seriously look at proper protection and expanding our resources in that area.

Q: You’ve replaced a very popular chief, Tim Riley, someone well-liked both by the public and by his firefighters. What do you think he did right?

A: He did a wonderful job with this department. He always had community involvement, whether in firefighter organizations or at charity events. He was always there, and that’s important. Southern California’s a smaller place than you think; we all rub shoulders around here, and we all know each other.

Q: What kind of direction do you want to take the department in?

A: My basic principle is to make sure people enjoy coming to work. Tim Riley left this department in great shape; if I just wanted to maintain the status quo, we’d do our job very well. But you always have to be looking to improve…. We haven’t even begun to touch the surface on disaster preparation. We need to make people aware of their vulnerability; they get comfortable, and while that’s great as far as your psychological well-being goes, you don’t want them forgetting to prepare for the worst. Normally, when you call 911, we’re there immediately. After a disaster, it could be 72 hours. We need people ready to help themselves in the meantime.

Q: The problems in the Los Angeles Fire Department with hazing and alleged racism have been all over the news. What do you think went wrong there, and how do you prevent it here?

A: We make sure that we treat all employees with respect…. We have human resources send all supervisors to harassment training so they know what’s acceptable and what’s not. But we also make sure every employee knows they’re personally responsible for what happens, so they can’t say, “Oh, my supervisor wasn’t there telling me no, so it’s not my fault.”

Q: Anything else to say?

A: I’m really excited about being here…. I think it’s Confucius who said, “Find a job that you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Behind the Headlines is a regular feature that focuses on the people involved in the stories making news. It allows them to speak in depth on the issues that have the community talking.