San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of San Diego, California, United States.[2] The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is the second-largest municipal fire department in the state of California, after Los Angeles and responds to nearly 162,000 calls per year.[2]
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Operational area | |
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Agency overview | |
Established | August 5, 1889[1] |
Annual calls | 161,399(2022)[2] |
Employees | 1,256 |
Annual budget | $343,491,249 (FY 2024)[3] |
Staffing | Career |
Fire chief | Colin Stowell[4] |
EMS level | ALS & BLS |
IAFF | 145 |
Motto | "Dedicated to Our Citizens, Our Members, and Our Profession" |
Facilities and equipment[5] | |
Divisions | 1 |
Battalions | 7 |
Stations | 53 and 5 specialty stations |
Engines | 50 - Front line 32 - Reserve |
Trucks | 13 - Front line 9 - Reserve |
Squads | 2 |
Rescues | 5 Airport Crash Rescue rigs, 2 US&R rigs |
Ambulances | 39 contracted ALS units |
Tenders | 3 |
HAZMAT | 3 |
USAR | 2 |
Wildland | 11 - Type 3 |
Helicopters | 3 |
Fireboats | 4 |
Website | |
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Organization
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is divided into two major divisions: Emergency Operations and Support Services. Each of these divisions are commanded by an assistant chief who oversees several subdivisions.[6][7]
Helicopters
In the summer of 2002, the SDFD acquired a Bell 212HP with a 375 U.S. gallons (1,420 L) water capacity.[8] In 2005, the department acquired a Bell 412EP for their fleet.[9] In late 2018, the department put a Sikorsky S-70i FireHawk into service. The three helicopters are known by their call signs Copter 1, Copter 2, and Copter 3, respectively. They are most commonly used during wildfires for helitack. They can also be used as air ambulances to lift injured personnel. The Council approved using bond revenues to fund a $13.7 million hangar for its helicopters that will include living and office space. The facility will be built at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.[10]
Operations
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department operates out of 53 fire stations, located throughout the city, organized into seven battalions. Each Battalion is commanded by a Battalion Chief.[11]
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department also operates 25 lifeguard stations, nine of which are permanently staffed. SDFD recently purchased many new Pierce Pumpers and 4 New Pierce Arrow XT Tractor Drawn Aerials. Trucks 1 and 35 are already in Service. The next two are expected to go to Truck 21 and Truck 12.
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There are two additional locations: There is an Air Operations Base and an Emergency Command and Dispatch Center.
Location/Name | Address | Apparatus |
---|---|---|
Air Operations Base | 4302 Ponderosa Ave. | Copter 1, Copter 2, Copter 3, Air Operations 1, Air Operations 2, Heli Fuel Tender 1 & 2 |
Emergency Command & Dispatch Center | 3750 Kearny Villa Rd. | Communications 1 |
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Battalion 1
Battalion 1 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11 and the ARFF Station at San Diego International Airport. Battalion 1 is Headquartered at Fire Station 2.
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1222 First Ave. | Engine 1, Engine 201 | Truck 1 | Medic 1 | Light & Air 1, X-Ray 1, Chemical 1, USAR Utility 1, Utility 81, MAST Captain, MAST Engineer |
2 | 825 West Cedar St. | Engine 2 | Battalion Chief 1, USAR 2 | ||
3 | 725 West Kalmia St. | Engine 3 | |||
4 | 404 8th Ave. | Engine 4 | Mobile Operation Detail (MOD) | ||
7 | 944 Cesar E. Chavez Pkwy. | Engine 7 | |||
11 | 945 25th St. | Engine 11 | Truck 11 | Medic 11 | |
ARFF Station (SAN) | 3698 Pacific Hwy. | Crash 1, Crash 2, Crash 3, Crash 5 |
Battalion 2
Battalion 2 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 5, 8, 14, 18, 23, 28 and 36. Battalion 2 is Headquartered at Fire Station 5.
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | Brush Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 3902 9th Ave. | Engine 5 | OES Brush Engine 6307 | Battalion Chief 2 | ||
8 | 3974 Goldfinch St. | Engine 8 | ||||
14 | 4011 32nd St. | Engine 14 | Truck 14 | Brush 14 | Shift Commander 1 | |
18 | 4676 Felton St. | Engine 18 | Medic 18 | OES Engine 417 | ||
23 | 2190 Comstock St. | Engine 23 | Medic 23 | Utility 82 | ||
28 | 3880 Kearny Villa Rd. | Engine 28 | Truck 28 | Medic 28 | Foam 28, Water Tender 28 | |
36 | 5855 Chateau Dr. | Engine 36 | Medic 36, Medic 236 |
Battalion 3
Battalion 3 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 15, 20, 21, 22, 25 and 27. Battalion 3 is Headquartered at Fire Station 25.
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | 4711 Voltaire St. | Engine 15 | Utility 83 | ||
20 | 3305 Kemper St. | Engine 20 | Truck 20 | Medic 20 | Utility 20 |
21 | 750 Grand Ave. | Engine 21 | Truck 21 | Medic 21 | |
22 | 1055 Catalina Blvd. | Engine 22 | Medic 22 | ||
25 | 1972 Chicago St. | Engine 25 | Battalion Chief 3 | ||
27 | 5064 Clairemont Dr. | Engine 27 |
Battalion 4
Battalion 4 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 10, 17, 26, 31, 34, 39 and 45. Battalion 4 is Headquartered at Fire Station 45.
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | Brush Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 4605 62nd St. | Engine 10 | Truck 10 | Brush 10 | Chemical 10 | |
17 | 4206 Chamoune Ave. | Engine 17 | Medic 17 | |||
26 | 2850 54th St. | Engine 26 | Medic 26 | |||
31 | 6002 Camino Rico | Engine 31 | Medic 31 | Mobile Canteen 2 | ||
34 | 6565 Cowles Mountain Blvd. | Engine 34 | Brush 34 | |||
39 | 4949 La Cuenta Dr. | Engine 39 | Medic 39 | |||
45 | 9366 Friars Rd. | Engine 45 | Truck 45 | Battalion Chief 4, HazMat 1, HazMat 2, ERT 1, OES HazMat 61 |
Battalion 5
Battalion 5 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 9, 13, 16, 24, 35, 41, 47 and 50. Battalion 5 is Headquartered at Fire Station 50.
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | Brush Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | 7870 Ardath Ln. | Engine 9 | Medic 9 | UDC Trailer (Unified Disaster Counsel), | ||
13 | 809 Nautilus St | Engine 13 | ||||
16 | 2110 Via Casa Alta | Engine 16 | ||||
24 | 13077 Hartfield Ave. | Engine 24 | Medic 24 | Brush 24 | ||
35 | 4285 Eastgate Mall | Engine 35 | Truck 35 | Medic 35 | Brush 35 | Utility 85 |
41 | 4914 Carroll Canyon Rd. | Engine 41 | Medic 41 | USAR 41, USAR Utility, Rapid Air Cushion(RAC) | ||
47 | 6041 Edgewood Court Bend | Engine 47 | ||||
50 | 7177 Shoreline Dr. | Engine 50 | Medic 50 | Battalion Chief 5, Falck Medic Supervisor 72 |
Battalion 6
Battalion 6 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 6,12,19,29,30,32,43,51 and 55. Battalion 6 is Headquartered at Fire Station 12.
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | Brush Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | 693 Twining Ave. | Engine 6 | ||||
12 | 4964 Imperial Ave. | Engine 12 | Truck 12 | Medic 12 | Brush 12 | Battalion Chief 6, Utility 86 |
19 | 3434 Ocean View Blvd. | Engine 19 | Medic 19 | Water Tender 19 | ||
29 | 198 W. San Ysidro Blvd. | Engine 29 | Truck 29 | Medic 29 | Brush 29 | |
30 | 2265 Coronado Ave. | Engine 30 | Medic 30 | |||
32 | 484 Briarwood Rd. | Engine 32 | Medic 32 | |||
43 | 1590 La Media Rd. | Engine 43 | Medic 43, Medic 243 | Brush 43 | San Diego County FD Truck 38 & Brush 38 (temporary relocation) | |
51 | 7180 Skyline Dr. | Engine 51 | Medic 51 | |||
Squad 55 | 6135 Imperial Ave. | Squad 55 |
Battalion 7
Battalion 7 is responsible for the following Fire Stations: 33, 37, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 and 57. Battalion 7 is Headquartered at Fire Station 44
Fire Station Number | Address | Engine Company | Truck Company | Medic Unit | OES Unit or Brush Unit | Other units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 16966 Bernardo Center Dr. | Engine 33 | Medic 33 | OES Brush 6301 | ||
37 | 11640 Spring Canyon Rd. | Engine 37 | Medic 37 | Brush 37 | Falck Medic Supervisor 71 | |
38 | 8441 New Salem St. | Engine 38 | Medic 38 | |||
40 | 13393 Salmon River Rd. | Engine 40 | Truck 40 | Medic 40 | Brush 40 | Light & Air 40, Water Tender 40, Utility 40 |
42 | 12110 World Trade Dr. | Engine 42 | Medic 42 | |||
44 | 10011 Black Mountain Rd. | Engine 44 | Truck 44 | Medic 44, Medic 244 | Brush 44 | Battalion Chief 7, Utility 87 |
46 | 14556 Lazanja Dr. | Engine 46 | ||||
Squad 57 | 17701 San Pasqual Valley Rd. | Squad 57 |
Low staffing issues
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The San Diego Fire Department is somewhat understaffed compared to comparable fire departments. For example, the fire department has about one firefighter per 1469 residents, compared to one fire fighter per 421 residents in San Francisco.[12] In comparison with other major cities with populations over 1 million, such as Los Angeles, the starting pay for a City of San Diego Fire Fighter is around $80,000.
References
- "Department History". San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- "About SDFD". San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- "Budget". San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- "Fire Chief Javier Mainar". San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- "SDFD - Apparatus". San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- "Organizational Chart" (PDF). San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 18 Sep 2019.
- "Department Organization". Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Fire Helicopter Finally Becomes Reality". ABC 10 News. 21 June 2002. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- "San Diego Fire-Rescue shows off Copter 2". 1st Responder Broadcast Network. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- City Buys Firehawk Helicopter To Bolster Firefighting Arsenal Archived 2018-07-04 at the Wayback Machine City News Room. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- "Fire Stations". San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- Heavy on calls, light on resources - Strapped San Diego Fire Department refused accreditation Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, San Diego Union Tribune
External links
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- "Fire Stations | Fire-Rescue Department | City of San Diego Official Website". Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2021-01-07.