Fire Suppression
The Fresno Fire Department (FFD) serves a population of more than 540,000 in the City of Fresno, the North Central Fire Protection District and the Fig Garden Fire Protection District (over 325 square miles) with 24 fire stations, including the Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) station.
The Department provides emergency response to fire, EMS, urban search and rescue, and hazardous materials incidents within the City, two contract fire districts (North Central and Fig Garden), and through mutual-aid and auto-aid requests.
FFD employs approximately 300 uniformed firefighter members. Twenty-seven staffed companies consist of 21 engines, 6 ladder trucks. The department cross staffs the following units when needed; 2 water tenders, 2 brush-type apparatus, 2 type-1 Hazmat apparatus, 2 patrol-type apparatus and 2 aircraft rescue apparatus. The companies are divided into three districts; each district is supervised by a battalion chief.
The City of Fresno’s Yosemite International Airport (FYI) is an Index B Airport with nine carriers offering Valley passengers 50 daily departures. Annually, more than a million travelers, passengers pass through FYI. Along with commercial flights, FYI is a gateway for United Parcel Service and Federal Express cargo aircraft. The airport has a General Aviation component serviced by several Fixed Based Operators.
The Fresno Fire Department has an established Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Specialty Team, which works in conjunction with Airport Public Safety. The ARFF Team consists of 19 Fire Control 5 certified team members. The department maintains a minimum daily staffing of two ARFF members assigned to the ARFF Station. Services provided include, but not limited to: ARFF response, Hazardous Materials incidents, first responder calls, and all structure fires within the airport boundaries. The station is centrally located within the airport. It has been housing members since 1962. Currently, two OSH KOSH 3000 Gallon ARFF units are assigned to the station.
The Fresno Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team provides special rescue operations for the City of Fresno and in Region 5 of the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA). The USAR team is a certified Type-1 Heavy Rescue and Type-1 Water/Flood rescue resource. On duty staffing consists of personnel from fire stations 13 and 4. Qualified USAR members hold the following certifications.
Rescue Systems 1
Rescue Systems 2
Low Angle Rescue
Confined Space Operations
Trench Rescue
Swiftwater Rescue Unit-1
Swiftwater Rescue Advanced
Swiftwater Rescue Boat Operator
Basic SCUBA
Public Safety SCUBA
Supplied Air Diving Operations
In order to keep current on best practices several members of the USAR team hold instructor certifications in all of the required disciplines
The Fresno City Fire Department recognizes the potential for a large chemical release to occur which could expose thousands of people to hazardous or toxic vapors. A variety of chemicals are transported utilizing one of the two railroad lines or one of the four freeways which transect the City.
The Fresno City Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) has embraced an all-hazards approach to emergency response to ensure that our community receives a robust, competent level of service to all hazardous materials events.
The Fire Department HMRT is comprised of sixty personnel trained to the Hazardous Materials Technician and/or Specialist requirements. Fourteen personnel are on duty each day with a minimum of nine of those persons, trained to the Technician/Specialist level. The HMRT utilizes 2 OES Type 1 Hazmat response rigs, and a Mass Decontamination trailer. The HMRT is deployed from two strategically located fire stations. The HMRT OES Type 1 response rig is assigned to a fire station with a fire engine and a fire truck. The second Type 1 response rig is assigned to a station staffed with HMRT personnel assigned to a fire engine. The second station is also the location of the Mass Decontamination trailer. The deployment plan requires the dispatch of the closest FRO response company in conjunction with the HMRT to hazardous materials emergencies.
The Fresno City Hazardous Materials Response Teams have partnered with the State Office of Emergency Services (OES) to deploy regionally or statewide to support any jurisdiction through the State Master Mutual Aid System.
The department acquired three hazardous materials response vehicles utilizing grant funding. The primary response OES Type 1 and OES Type 3 vehicles were purchased in 2005. The department recently purchased a second Type 1 vehicle which will be in service August 2008.
The local fire agencies have scheduled cross-training of all hazardous materials response technicians/specialists to maintain familiarity and competency with each agency’s personnel, equipment, and response capabilities.
The HMRT developed a Hospital Decontamination Program and have instructed the local hospitals. The hospitals are trained to decontaminate large groups of persons that would seek medical attention should a chemical release occur in our jurisdiction.
Daily staffing consists of 77 firefighting members in the city of Fresno for a total of 89 firefighters on duty throughout the response area each day. In 2016, the Department responded to a total of 43,890 emergency incidents, with 3,356 being fire calls, resulting in a total of over $23.5 million in fire loss.