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Arcadia Fire chief reports accreditation, grants, new equipment and higher call volume
Summary
The Arcadia Fire chief told the board College of the Redwoods received accreditation for firefighter training, staff are pursuing several grants (drone training funded), a reserve engine required about $30,000 in repairs, and the district logged roughly 330 calls last month with medical calls comprising about 45%.
During the Nov. 12 meeting the fire chief briefed the board on operational highlights: local firefighter training capacity, equipment updates, grant activity and recent incidents.
The chief said College of the Redwoods has received accreditation that will allow local firefighter certification training to stay in-region, reducing travel and training delays. Former Humboldt Bay Fire Chief Robertson was named as an academy lead, and the district plans to leverage countywide training and mutual-aid exercises.
On equipment, staff said the engine build with Pierce is progressing (slots for April/May and anticipated summer delivery), a new compressor and testing-room upgrades are scheduled, and one reserve engine required a major system flush after oil and coolant were found, with repairs estimated at about $30,000. The district also received a California Fire Foundation grant for a drone and is developing policies for its use and training.
Grant applications have had mixed results: SAFER and some other applications were unsuccessful, while the California Fire Foundation grant for a drone was awarded. Staff said they continue to wait on several other applications and will report updates.
Operations included several notable incidents: a fatal house fire in Manila, multiple medical and rescue responses including a difficult waterfall rescue in McKinleyville, and a prolonged search-and-rescue that concluded successfully. For the month cited, staff reported approximately 330 calls, 149 medical calls (about 45%), McKinleyville accounted for roughly 41% of calls, Arcadia about 40%, and Cal Poly about 5% of call volume; 66 calls overlapped and 51% of unit travel times were under five minutes.
The chief said these operational metrics and equipment plans inform staffing and budget planning as the district prepares for upcoming outreach and funding discussions.
