Emergency Services

Active Fire

The Alameda Fire Department's primary mission is to protect life, property and the environment.  In addition, the Department is organized to protect the economic base of the City from conflagration and other disasters.  Fire suppression operations are delivered from four fire stations strategically located throughout the City.  Daily fire companies respond with four fire engines (Click Here), two fire trucks , three ambulances , and one Division Chief vehicle.  These vehicles make up the daily complement assigned to the stations for response to fire calls.

On a first alarm assignment for a structure fire, a response includes 3 engines, 2 trucks, 1 ambulance and the Division Chief vehicle.  A minimum of 18 fire personnel are assigned to a first alarm incident.  Additional alarms, due to size, location, and safety concerns, may be requested by the Incident Commander.  When this occurs it entails bringing all available Alameda Fire units to the scene and/or requesting mutual aid from other local fire departments.

Other responses for fire suppression include vehicle fires, vegetation fires, outdoor fires, trash fires, and ship/boat fires.  The Fire Department also responds to mutual aid calls from other jurisdictions within the County and the State.  Calls for mutual aid can also be for wildland fires, which requires additional training and personal protective equipment.  Wildland mutual aid responses often take our firefighters out of Alameda for up to 2 weeks at a time.

The Alameda Fire Department has been in the ambulance transport business since the late 1970's. This service commenced with a single ambulance staffed by two Firefighters/ Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who provided emergency transports within the city of Alameda. Since that time, the transport service has grown with the needs of the community to three full-time, Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances.

Currently, all engine companies and ambulances are staffed with at least one paramedic each, providing quick ALS service to all parts of the city.

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division provides quality assurance and quality control for emergency medical first responder and ambulance transport services.  This includes training, licensing and certification of emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Personnel follow guidelines developed by Alameda County Emergency Medical Services for the delivery of emergency medical and transport services, including specialized treatment and transport to definitive care. Personnel also provide community services including, but not limited to, blood pressure testing and CPR/AED instruction.

 

Technical Rescue

The Alameda Fire Department Technical Rescue Program provides land based search and rescue for life and property that employs the use of tools and skills exceeding those normally provided by fire fighters.  Alameda Fire specializes in rescue techniques and equipment for building collapse, ship board rescue, underground vaults and tunnels, auto extrication, and fire fighter survival.  Most all equipment and vehicles in the Technical Rescue Program have been provided by FEMA Grants. Those grants were awarded based on the unique hazards Alameda city has by being an island and the earthquake potential here and in the surrounding areas.

Marine Operations

Since its inception in 2011, The Marine Operations (MAROPS) Program of the Alameda Fire Department has been under constant review, scrutiny and growth to be able to provide land based water rescue from shore, as well as boat based water rescue utilizing Inflatable Rescue Boats and Rescue Swimmers. The policies have been established and reviewed to reflect current practices and are being monitored for their effectiveness.

As of this date, the Department has trained all members in “Shore Based” water rescue and currently has 25 Lifeguard Certified Rescue Swimmers. The Department has also trained 55 members as Inflatable Rescue Boat Operators to operate the 2 Inflatable Rescue Boats.

The final component of the MAROPS Program is dedicated to marina and waterfront firefighting, making necessary the acquisition of a suitable Fireboat. In August 2012, the Department was approved by the US Department of Homeland Security for a Port Security grant in the amount of $375,000.00 to purchase a Fireboat. The Alameda City Council voted in October 2012 to accept the grant and enter into a purchase agreement for a Fireboat, not to exceed $500,000 for a fully equipped Fireboat. 

Fire-Boat.jpg

Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Program

All Alameda firefighters are trained in hazardous materials response to the First Responder Operational (FRO) level.  Firefighters are able to contain and clean up small releases of certain known chemicals.  For large releases of these known chemicals, or of unknown substances, the Alameda Fire Department works in conjunction with the Alameda County Fire Department HAZMAT Team and the National Response Corporation (NRC) to mitigate, clean-up and dispose of these types of hazardous materials.

 

Tactical Medics

The Alameda Fire Department (AFD) is providing four Firefighter / Paramedics as “Tactical Medics” for the Police Department’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). These Tactical Medics will provide medical services for law enforcement special operations, enabling rapid care for injured officers and civilians.

The Alameda Police Department’s (APD) CIRT is a departmental resource designed to conduct search and arrest warrants, along with handling other high-risk operations outside of their normal police functions.

The four AFD Tactical Medics respond to all CIRT operations. The team composition includes a Commander, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Liaison Officer, SWAT Operators, Scout Snipers, Crisis Negotiation Team, Tactical Medics and Tactical Dispatchers.

 

 

Back to top