San Bernardino County Fire Department


The San Bernardino County Fire Department (SBCoFD) or The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated parts of San Bernardino County, California and to 24 incorporated cities. San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area covering a total of 20,160 square miles. The San Bernardino County Fire Department is responsible for responding to 19,278 square miles of San Bernardino County and serves a population of over 2 million people.[2][3][4][5]

San Bernardino County Fire
"Duty, Honor, Community"
Operational area
Country United States
State California
County San Bernardino County
Agency overview
Established
  • November 28, 1928 (1928-11-28)
  • (93 years ago)
Annual calls167,677 (2020)
EmployeesCall 1,071
Annual budget$323,303,800.00 [1]
StaffingCareer/Paid-On Call
Fire chiefDan Munsey
Fire captain180
EMS levelALS & BLS
IAFF935
Facilities and equipment
Divisions7
Battalions8
Stations57
Engines94
Tillers7
Squads14
Rescues8
Ambulances37
Tenders20
HAZMAT4
Airport crash4
Wildland25 - Type 328 - Type 6
Bulldozers3
Fireboats5
Website
Official website
IAFF website

History

The history of The San Bernardino County Fire Department begins with the Fontana Fire Department which was organized in 1928 and originally covered 22.5 square miles. On November 28, 1928 Earl B. Reeves was appointed as the Chief by the fire commission. Reeves was a former Captain with the San Bernardino City Fire Department and president of the Fireman’s Relief Association of San Bernardino. He inherited a force of 12 volunteers who were mainly farmers and ranchers in the area. The Fontana Fire Department continued to grow with the city, and in October 1953 a new recruit was hired by the name of R.J. Keen. Keen made Battalion Chief in 1958, Assistant Chief in 1968, and was named Acting Fire Chief in 1971, just 22 days prior to his 54th birthday. A year later, he was named Fire Chief of the Fontana Fire Department.

R.J. Keen approached the Muscoy Fire Protection District and the Bloomington Fire Protection District to discuss joining forces. The Fire Chief of Muscoy was Earl Mathiot and the Fire Chief of Bloomington was Nate Alvarez. An agreement was formed for a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and this new department was called the Central Valley Fire Protection District. This occurred in 1973. Many more consolidations would soon come. Central Valley would eventually cover some 66 square miles.

With the birth of this new department, a centralized dispatch center was needed. The new location for this center would be in the front office of Fire Station 71 in Fontana. One of the key people in developing this new dispatch center was Emergency Communications Supervisor Dave Dowling. Like Keen, Dowling would be laying the groundwork for the future. Central Valley did very well, in terms of wages and reputation, and that carried them into the 1980s. In 1982, the Chino Fire Protection District joined Central Valley FPD. With the addition of the fourth agency, Central Valley FPD became the West San Bernardino Valley Fire Agency.

In 1985, Chino Fire decided to become an independent agency once again. As one department left eight others joined that year. 1985 was the year the San Bernardino County Fire Agency was formed. The San Bernardino County Fire Agency was designed to provide a management umbrella over the Districts, providing a single fire chief, administrative management, fire prevention and vehicle and training services. The joining Districts include Lake Arrowhead, Yucca Valley, Lucerne Valley, Wrightwood, Hinkley, Searles Valley, Green Valley Lake and Forest Falls.

In 1994 the County Consolidated Fire District (San Bernardino County Fire Department) was formed to manage all the fire protection districts, county service areas (CSA), and improvement zones, with the exception of CSA 38. The California Department of Forestry (CDF) continued to manage CSA 38 at that time. The District eliminated all district chief positions, encompassed all district employees, standardized pay scales and benefits and added hazardous materials, household hazardous waste code enforcement, and the Office of Emergency Services.

In 1997, in an effort to provide effective fire service and streamline cost, the County cancelled its contract with CDF and directed the unfunded areas and CSA 38 to be transferred to County Fire; bringing with it Devore, Grand Terrace, Needles, San Antonio Heights, Mentone, Phelan, Fawnskin, Baker, Harvard and the unfunded areas of the county.

In 1999 the City of Adelanto began contracting fire protection and emergency medical services with The San Bernardino County Fire Department. This contract paved the way for two other cities to contract as well; the City of Hesperia in 2004 and the City of Victorville in 2008.

The Fire Reorganization Plan was finalized and became effective July 1, 2008; dissolving 27 separate fire districts and merging them into a single fire protection district with four regional service zones. This reorganization created the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, the parent organization that provides all administration, payroll, fiscal and support services, as County Fire’s administration had done in the past. Four regional service zones were created, leaving functions unchanged, but securing property taxes on a regional level that will provide continued fire services well into the future. In addition, within the new fire protection district, existing special taxes that were created by special elections remained in place. This reorganization has resulted in simplified budgeting and fiscal operations, greater flexibility in the use of department resources and assets and more effective use of executive management to oversee day-to-day operations.

On July 1, 2015 the Crest Forest Fire Protection District annexation into The San Bernardino County Fire Department was completed.[6][7][8]

On July 1, 2016 the San Bernardino City Fire Department was annexed into The San Bernardino County Fire Department.[9]

Also on July 1, 2016 the Twentynine Palms Fire Department was annexed into The San Bernardino County Fire Department.[10][11][12]

In July 2017 the Upland Fire Department was annexed into The San Bernardino County Fire Department.[13]

As of April 2019 the City of Victorville declined to renew their contract with The San Bernardino County Fire Department.[14]

Divisions[3][15]

Division 1

West Valley Division – Bloomington, Fontana, Lytle Creek, Mount Baldy, San Antonio Heights, Upland and 3 other areas

Division 2

East Valley Division – Devore, Grand Terrace, Mentone, Muscoy, San Bernardino

Division 3

Mountain Division – Angelus Oaks, Crestline, Fawnskin, Forest Falls, Green Valley Lake, Lake Arrowhead, Rim Forest, Twin Peaks and 7 other areas

Division 4

South Desert Division – 29 Palms, Big River, Earp, Havasu Landing, Joshua Tree, Landers, Needles, Parker, Park Moabi, Pioneer Town, Wonder Valley, Yucca Valley

Division 5

North Desert Division – Baldy Mesa, Hesperia, Lucerne Valley, Phelan, Pinion Hills, Wrightwood and 3 other areas

Division 6

High Desert Division – Adelanto, Baker, El Mirage, Harvard, Helendale, Hinkley, Mountain View Acres, Oro Grande, Spring Valley Lake, Trona

Division 11

Special Operations and Training Division – Aviation, EMS, Safety, Training, Wildland

Stations and equipment[16][17][18]
Division Station City/Unincorporated Area Apparatus Battalion
1 12 San Antonio Heights Medic Engine 12, Brush Patrol 12 1
1 161 Upland Medic Engine 161, Medic Truck 161 1
1 163 Upland Medic Engine 163, Brush Engine 163 1
1 164 Upland Medic Engine 164, OES 310, Utility 164, Mobile Command Post, Battalion 1 1
1 71 Fontana Medic Engine 71, Medic Truck 71, Medic Squad 71, Reserve Medic Truck 71, Water Tender 71, Battalion 2 2
1 72 Fontana Medic Engine 72, Medic Squad 72, Rescue 72 2
1 73 Fontana Medic Engine 73, Medic Squad 73, Hazmat 73, Hazmat 73A, Utility 73, Decon 73 2
1 74 Fontana Medic Engine 74, Brush Engine 74, Reserve Medic Engine 74 2
1 76 Bloomington Medic Engine 76, Brush Engine 76 2
1 77 Fontana Medic Engine 77, Medic Truck 77 2
1 78 Fontana Medic Engine 78, Medic Squad 78, Water Tender 78, Utility 78 2
1 79 Fontana Medic Engine 79, Brush Engine 79 2
2 9 Mentone Medic Engine 9, Brush Engine 9 3
2 23 Grand Terrace Medic Engine 23, Reserve Medic Engine 23 3
2 221 San Bernardino Medic Engine 221, Medic Engine 221A, Medic Truck 221, Utility 221, Battalion 3 3
2 222 San Bernardino Medic Engine 222 3
2 229 San Bernardino Medic Engine 229 3
2 231 San Bernardino Medic Engine 231, Brush Engine 231 3
2 2 Devore Medic Engine 2, Brush Engine 2 4
2 75 Muscoy Medic Engine 75, Brush Engine 75 4
2 224 San Bernardino Medic Engine 224, Medic Truck 224, Battalion 4 4
2 226 San Bernardino Medic Engine 226, Medic Squad 226, Water Tender 226, Reserve Medic Squad 224 4
2 227 San Bernardino Medic Engine 227, Brush Engine 227 4
2 228 San Bernardino Medic Engine 228, Brush Engine 228 4
2 232 San Bernardino Medic Engine 232, Brush Engine 232 4
2 233 San Bernardino International Airport Red 233, Red 233A, Red 233B, Twin Agent 233 4
3 25 Crestline Medic Engine 25, Medic Ambulance 25, Brush Engine 25, Utility 25 5
3 26 Twin Peaks Medic Engine 26, Medic Ambulance 26, Snow Cat 26, OES 309 5
3 91 Lake Arrowhead Medic Engine 91, Medic Ambulance 91, Rescue 91, Brush Patrol 91, Snow Cat 91, Snow Loader 91, Battalion 5 5
3 92 Lake Arrowhead Medic Engine 92, Brush Engine 92, Fire Boat 92, Utility 92, Snow Loader 92 5
3 94 Lake Arrowhead Medic Engine 94, Medic Ambulance 94, Brush Engine 94, Snow Loader 94, Utility 94 5
3 96 Fawnskin Medic Engine 96, Brush Patrol 96, Fire Boat 96, Snow Cat 96 5
4 18 Havasu Landing Medic Brush Patrol 18 7
4 32 Needles Medic Engine 32, Fire Boat 32, Water Tender 32, Utility 32, Reserve Engine 32 7
4 36 Joshua Tree Medic Engine 36, Brush Engine 36, Utility 36, Hazmat 36, Decon 36 7
4 41 Yucca Valley Medic Engine 41, Medic Ambulance 41, Medic Ambulance 41A, Brush Engine 41 7
4 42 Yucca Valley Medic Engine 42, Medic Ambulance 42, Medic Truck 42, Water Tender 42, Utility 42, Reserve Medic Ambulance 42 7
4 44 Twentynine Palms Medic Engine 44 7
5 8 Lucerne Valley Medic Engine 8, Medic Ambulance 8, Brush Engine 8, Brush Patrol 8, Water Tender 8 8
5 10 Phelan Medic Engine 10, Medic Ambulance 10, Brush Engine 10 8
5 14 Wrightwood Medic Engine 14, Medic Ambulance 14, Brush Patrol 14, Snow Cat 14 8
5 302 Hesperia Medic Engine 302, Medic Ambulance 302, Medic Ambulance 302A, Brush Engine 302 8
5 304 Hesperia Medic Truck 304, Medic Squad 304, Medic Ambulance 304, Reserve Medic Engine 304, Reserve Medic Truck 304 8
5 305 Hesperia Medic Engine 40, Medic Ambulance 40, Medic Ambulance 305, Rescue 40, Rescue Trailer 40, Brush Engine 40, Swift Water 40, Command Post 1B, Honor Guard Trailer, Battalion 8 8
6 4 Helendale Medic Engine 4, Medic Brush Patrol 4, Water Tender 4 10
6 22 Spring Valley Lake Medic Engine 22, Medic Ambulance 22, Brush Engine 22, Hazmat 22 10
6 53 Baker Medic Engine 53, Medic Ambulance 53, Brush Patrol 53, Water Tender 53, Utility 53, Reserve Medic Ambulance 53 10
6 322 Adelanto Medic Engine 322, Medic Truck 322, Brush Patrol 322, Water Tender 322 10
1 20 Lytle Creek Paid-Call Staffed 1
3 30 Rim Forest Paid-Call Staffed 5
3 95 Green Valley Lake Paid-Call Staffed 5
3 98 Angelus Oaks Paid-Call Staffed 5
3 99 Forest Falls Paid-Call Staffed 5
4 17 Big River Paid-Call Staffed 7
4 19 Landers Paid-Call Staffed 7
4 55 Earp Paid-Call Staffed 7
5 13 Pinion Hills Paid-Call Staffed 8
6 52 Harvard Paid-Call Staffed - Engine 52, Brush Patrol 52 10
6 56 Hinkley Paid-Call Staffed 10
6 57 Trona Paid-Call Staffed 10
3 24 Cedar Pines Park INACTIVE 5
3 28 Crestline INACTIVE 5
3 29 Lake Gregory INACTIVE 5
3 93 Lake Arrowhead INACTIVE 5
4 21 Parker INACTIVE 7
4 34 Park Moabi INACTIVE 7
4 35 Joshua Tree INACTIVE 7
4 38 Pioneer Town INACTIVE 7
4 43 Twentynine Palms INACTIVE 7
4 45 Wonder Valley INACTIVE 7
4 47 Wonder Valley INACTIVE 7
5 7 Lucerne Valley INACTIVE 8
5 16 Baldy Mesa INACTIVE 8
5 48 Hesperia INACTIVE 8
5 301 Hesperia INACTIVE 8
5 303 Hesperia INACTIVE 8
6 11 El Mirage INACTIVE 10
6 37 Mountain View Acres INACTIVE 10

Specialized Programs

Ambulance Operator Program[19]

San Bernardino County Fire's single-function paramedics are classified under their Ambulance Operator (AO) Program. Initially created under a staffing shortage with the goal of increasing the number of cross-trained paramedics on their engine companies, the AO program now exists throughout the district with single-function medics staffing every ambulance in the fleet. The AO Program began in 2014 and has now become home to 96 single-function ambulance operators (half of which are paramedics), making SBCoFD the largest fire department provider of ambulance transport in the county. There are Paramedic (Advanced Life Support) Ambulance Operators (Paramedic (ALS) AOs) and Emergency Medical Technician (Basic Life Support) Ambulance Operators (EMT (BLS) AOs).

Paramedic (Advanced Life Support) Ambulance Operators (Paramedic (ALS) AOs) are licensed paramedics that render advance emergency medical care including airway management, initiating IVs, and administering advanced life support medications. They are also trained in utilizing ecg and defibrillation to treat life-threatening heart conditions. Emergency Medical Technician (Basic Life Support) Ambulance Operators (EMT (BLS) AOs) maintain an EMT1 certification or greater and primarily serve as an ambulance operator while also providing basic medical care to patients including bandaging wounds, taking vital signs, splinting limbs, providing CPR, and moving patients.

References
  1. "San Bernardino County Fire Annual Report 2018-19" (PDF).
  2. "About San Bernardino County Fire". www.sbcfire.org. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  3. "San Bernardino County Fire Department Annual Report 2016–2017" (PDF).
  4. UnionCentrics.com. "San Bernardino County Firefighters, IAFF Local 935 – Home Page". www.iafflocal935.org. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  5. "Fire Annual Report 2017-2018". calameo.com. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  6. "LAFCO Cert of Completion" (PDF).
  7. "San Bernardino County Fire Department Annual Report 2014-2015" (PDF).
  8. "Fire Board Holds Last Meeting". m.mountain-news.com. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  9. "LAFCO SB City Annexation Proposal" (PDF).
  10. "29 Palms Revamping Fire Station | SBCSentinel". sbcsentinel.com. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  11. "County OKs fire takeover: City of 29 Palms offers to buy, then lease station". Hi-Desert Star. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  12. "San Bernardino County Fire Department Annual Report 2015-2016" (PDF).
  13. "Upland gets OK to disband fire department, annex to San Bernardino County Fire Department". Daily Bulletin. 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  14. "Victorville Fire Chief chosen to lead new city-run fire department". Victor Valley News Group | VVNG.com. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  15. "FIREWIRE Magazine Fall 2017". Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  16. "Fire Stations". www.sbcfire.org. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  17. "San Bernardino County Replaces Fire Apparatus". www.fireapparatusmagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  18. "San Bernardino County Fire Department – San Bernardino, CA". FireDepartment.net. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  19. "Ambulance Operator Program". www.sbcfire.org. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
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