Volunteer fire chiefs report expanded training, EV rescue work and new brush trucks

Jeff Mendoza, president of the Orange County Volunteer Fire Chiefs Association, gave the board a semiannual briefing on training, personnel and equipment.

Mendoza said a volunteer fire academy started in January, with 15 of 18 recruits remaining and 10 of those recruits drawn from Orange County volunteer companies. He described large, hands‑on training events — including three days of school‑bus rescue training and an outside instructor program called Performance Under Pressure that provided live evolutions such as vehicle rollovers and extrication techniques.

Mendoza emphasized training on alternative‑fuel/electric vehicles and the risks they present to firefighters. “Nothing scares me more than a fire in an EV,” he said, adding that thermal runaway in lithium‑ion battery packs makes some EV fires extremely difficult to extinguish and requires special suppression considerations. He described donated Ford test vehicles used for practical training and said the trainers reclaim and recycle the vehicle after exercises.

The association is planning a VDFP‑funded rope operations class later in the summer to train high‑angle and technical rescue skills and will follow up with site surveys this spring. Mendoza said final inspections for new brush trucks ordered three years ago are scheduled and that radios and equipment transfers are the remaining items before the trucks return to service.

Mendoza gave volunteer strength counts and staffing notes: about 22 certified volunteers per company are holding steady, with 15 non‑certified personnel (10 of whom are in the academy), and the association reported 10 recent terminations over six months with three of those tied to academy attrition.

Sources and attribution: Remarks recorded from Jeff Mendoza during the February 2025 meeting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.