San Rafael Fire Department

San Rafael Fire Department

Operational area
Country	United States
State	California
City	San Rafael
Agency overview[1]
Annual calls	7,072 (2012)
Employees	77 (2012)
Annual budget	$21,649,979 (2012)
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	Christopher Gray
IAFF	1775
Facilities and equipment[2]
Battalions	1
Stations	7
Engines	7
Trucks	2
Ambulances	5
USAR	1
Wildland	1 - type 3
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The San Rafael Fire Department (SRFD) provides fire and emergency medical services to the City of San Rafael, California.^[3] The San Rafael Fire Department serves an estimated population of 59,000 people with approximately 75 firefighting and emergency medical field personnel. The ISO Class 1 department responds to, on average, approximately 7000 emergency calls annually, with about 70% being emergency medical calls. EMS patients are transported to the hospital of there choice, unless the call is urgent.

The department staffs 7 stations with 23 personnel daily. Strategically located throughout the city are 6 frontline engines, 2 cross-staffed trucks, two frontline ambulances, and a battalion chief per shifts. County wide mutual aid provides relief and additional support during large scale incidents and during high call volume. Because the majority (70%) of calls are EMS related, a paramedic is onboard all engines. Also, additional ambulances are stored at station 55 (medic 55) and 56 (medic 56). While these units are not staffed full-time, they are cross staffed by the crew of the Engine company and can respond if Medics 51 and 53 are committed to calls.

History

The San Rafael Fire Department was first organized on December 5, 1874 when William Miller and J.B. Rice posted a notice in the Marin County Journal, calling for volunteer firemen. The organisation was first named the "San Rafael Hose Company Number One" but was then renamed the "San Rafael Hose, Hook and Ladder Company" to show the range of their equipment. There were 45 volunteers from a variety of trades including a justice of the peace and a school superintendent and were led by sheriff James Tunstede. Their first major appliance was a hose cart which was pulled by hand to a hydrant. The water supply of San Rafael used gravity to provide pressure and so a pump was not required. By the 1890s, the Company had 90 volunteer members, two hand pulled hose carts, two hose carriages and one hook and ladder wagon that was pulled by a rented team of horses when needed.^[4][5]

In 1945, the first full-time fire chief, Fred Schueuer was hired. In the mid-1980s, the first fire station had to be remodeled and upgraded. In that era, there was one station in San Rafael with 250 hydrants and 15 paid firefighters as well as a host of volunteers.^[6] In 2008, led by firefighter Dave Holland, the San Rafael Fire Department upgraded its fire engines with the installation of solar panels on the vehicles. The electricity generated would be used to power computers, flashlights, and other equipment on the fire engine, so as to avoid depleting the vehicle's batteries or wasting fuel to recharge the batteries.^[7][8]

Fire Station 51 in June 2014.

The San Rafael Fire Department has signed agreements with the fire departments of both the community of Marinwood and the City of Larkspur to pool together their equipment and facilitate the exchange of employees to make up for any labor shortages at any of the fire departments.^[9][10] Larkspur and San Rafael announced that they intended to merge the administrative structures of both fire departments, though legally, the employees would still be considered employees of the fire department that hired them.^[11]

The Department is updating or reconstructing many of its stations. In 2016, plans were released for a brand new fire station 51 and 52. Stations 54, 55 and 57 would be dramatically remodeled. While this is happening, many new apparatus have been acquired, moving from a yellow color scheme to a more classic, red. The department took delivery of a Pierce arial ladder truck in 2016, and two Pierce engines in 2017. These appuruatus are red, consistent with two 2013 KME engines.

Notable Incidents and Awards

In 2013, the department was praised for rescuing a horse which had fallen into a well. Water was pumped into the well to float the animal to the surface where a crane was then used to lift it out.^[12][13]

The department was granted an ISO Class 1 rating, the highest level available, in 2016.

Station & Apparatus locations

The SRFD has 7 stations spread across the city.^[2]

References

Coordinates: 37°58′25″N 122°31′52″W / 37.97361°N 122.53111°W / 37.97361; -122.53111