CAL FIRE units without local contracts?

[mcjones2013]

I was thinking about this today, and was curious for anyone in the know. Two separate questions:

1 - Are there any CAL FIRE units that don't have any contracts with local governments? Meaning that unit's sole responsibility is SRA lands and nothing else (land swaps/contacts with FRA agencies excepted).

2 - Are there any CAL FIRE dispatch centers that don't have any dispatch contracts with non-CAL FIRE agencies? Meaning that CAL FIRE dispatch center only dispatches for that unit's CAL FIRE assets (including CAL FIRE-staffed contract agencies)

 

[mcjones2013]

2 - Are there any CAL FIRE dispatch centers that don't have any dispatch contracts with non-CAL FIRE agencies? Meaning that CAL FIRE dispatch center only dispatches for that unit's CAL FIRE assets (including CAL FIRE-staffed contract agencies)

Thinking about it, I guess the Butte Unit would be one since Biggs, Gridley, Oroville, Paradise and Butte County Fire are operated by CAL FIRE, and El Medio FPD no longer exists. Although they might dispatch for a tribal fire department.

 

[ko6jw_2]

There are six counties that provide fire protection in the SRA under contract with CAL-FIRE. They are Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura. There are no CAL-FIRE units in those counties and no dispatch centers. If CAL-FIRE units need to operate at major fires they have radio sites available to them to communicate with dispatch centers via micro-wave.

Other counties like San Luis Obispo have a county fire department which contracts with CAL-FIRE to provide all fire service not just on the SRA.

 

[mcjones2013]

Thanks, I knew about "contract counties" where CAL FIRE contracts with local agencies for SRA protection, but what I was curious about was if there's any CAL FIRE units that do their own SRA protection ONLY, they have NO local municipal contracts they're also responsible for.

 

[es93546]

Thanks, I knew about "contract counties" where CAL FIRE contracts with local agencies for SRA protection, but what I was curious about was if there's any CAL FIRE units that do their own SRA protection ONLY, they have NO local municipal contracts they're also responsible for.

"CAL FIRE provides full-service fire protection to many of the citizens of California through the administration of 118 cooperative fire protection agreements in 31 of the State's 58 counties, 39 cities, 25 fire districts and 42 other special districts and service areas." Quotation from Cal Fire's website. I've read that SRA exists in all but 2 of the 58 counties. I'm looking at a SRA map and those two counties appear to be San Francisco and Imperial Counties. What you are looking for is if there is a Cal Fire ECC and a Cal Fire operational unit that only provides service to SRA without the involvement of any local agency. In looking over some of the Cal Fire maps I have, a situation like you are asking about does not jump up off the page. It would take an expert from Cal Fire to answer your question.

 

[es93546]

There are 21 CAL FIRE ECC's around the state. I'm wondering if there is any Cal Fire dispatch center or operational unit that fits the description you have given.

 

[mcjones2013]

What you are looking for is if there is a Cal Fire ECC and a Cal Fire operational unit that only provides service to SRA without the involvement of any local agency.

Yes, this. Any CDF units that only serve SRA, with no municipal contracts?

AND a separate question on any CDF ECC's that serve only CDF and CDF-staffed muncipal contracts, but NO local fire departments/districts that aren't CDF-staffed.

For the first question, I don't think there are any units that don't also have muncipal contracts in place. For the second question, I can only think of BTU, since CDF now serves all the counties and cities (except Chico which is on their own dispatch frequency).

 

[mcjones2013]

I was also wondering about USFS R5 dispatch centers, if any of them only serve their forest and aren't co-located with another state or federal agency. @es93546 you're probably best to answer that. I think Plumas might be the only one?

 

[es93546]

I was also wondering about USFS R5 dispatch centers, if any of them only serve their forest and aren't co-located with another state or federal agency. @es93546 you're probably best to answer that. I think Plumas might be the only one?

The Plumas and the Stanislaus are the only two. The Angeles is almost one of those, but they provide dispatching for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area as well. The Mendocino is another close one, but they provide dispatching for the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service for the National Wildlife Refuges on the Sacramento River. There are many dispatch centers (USFS) co-located with Cal Fire. The Modoc also provides services for federal units only, the Modoc NF, Lava Beds National Monument and an assortment of National Wildlife Refuges.

I gave you what I know of Cal Fire, but won't go any further as it has been pointed out in other threads that I know very little about Cal Fire.

 

[Kingscup]

Yes, this. Any CDF units that only serve SRA, with no municipal contracts?

Possibly Tulare Unit.

 

[es93546]

Possibly Tulare Unit.

I think the Tulare Unit used to provide the Tulare County Fire Department for years. Sometime in the last 10 years the county broke away from Cal Fire and started their own county fire department. So you might be right.

 

[Kingscup]

I think the Tulare Unit used to provide the Tulare County Fire Department for years. Sometime in the last 10 years the county broke away from Cal Fire and started their own county fire department. So you might be right.

Correct. Tulare county canceled the contractt and started their own dept. in 2007.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

Possibly Tulare Unit.

Kings-Fresno too if you just count kings county.

 

[tkenny53]

I'm going to guess, but outside CDF areas, cities/counties, would not BLM handle thoses?

 

[es93546]

I'm going to guess, but outside CDF areas, cities/counties, would not BLM handle thoses?

The BLM protects BLM land. In areas where the BLM land consists of small parcels that are isolated from each other they contract the fire protection to Cal Fire. There is very little BLM land in the Central Valley. Much of the Valley is not in the SRA, so counties and municipalities provide fire protection. These areas are called the Local Responsibility Areas (LRA). The Central California District of the BLM has one fire station west of Bakersfield, but most of its land is located east of Bakersfield up to the Sierra Crest, where the BLM's California Desert District's western boundary exists. If you explore the Cal Fire site or just do a Google search you can find maps of the entire state showing the jurisdictions across the state. There are also 18 National Forests in California which form a portion of the FRA, Federal Responsibility Area. There are 3 National Parks with significant acreage, those being Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Lassen Volcanic. I think Pinnacles National Park contracts with Cal FIre, but I'm not sure of their latest developments. The southern California Parks are largely desert, but Joshua Tree and Mojave both have fire organizations. I'm not sure if Death Valley NP has a fire organization or apparatus. I think not, I believe the Ridgecrest Field Office of the BLM provides fire protection for Death Valley. They really don't have much wildland fuel across the majority of the park.

The juxtaposition of the FRA, SRA and LRA in the state is complex, but believe me every piece of land is in the CAD (computer assisted dispatch) of every jurisdiction's computer. There are a ton of mutual aid agreements and where two jurisdictions border each other two agencies may be on the response. For example on the Sierra National Forest the land just uphill of the Forest boundary may find Cal Fire responding along with Sierra NF units. Just below the Forest boundary you will, of course, find Cal Fire responding along with Sierra NF units. Every response area has a prescribed response, which every agency has reviewed to see what will be on the response given various levels of fire danger/weather conditions.

Somewhere on the Cal Fire website are links to a county by county map or maps showing the jurisdictions at a more readable scale than the statewide map. I don't have any saved links to aid you in finding these maps. If you want a bird's eye view of every parcel of land's jurisdiction these county maps are essential.

 

[es93546]

I tried to keep the above post as short as I could. In local areas there is much more complexity. For example, the Inyo National Forest protects all SRA in Mono County inside the Forest boundary and Cal Fire pays them to do this. Outside of the Inyo National Forest boundary the BLM provides protection for the SRA lands in Mono County. In exchange all of the BLM land in the Owens Valley in Inyo County is protected by Cal Fire. It gets more complex when a major fire occurs on BLM Owens Valley land and complex when a large parcel of SRA inside the Inyo National Forest (private land inholdings) breaks a major fire. The bean counters have major influence on the cooperative and mutual aid agreements that have to be drawn up and signed by all the appropriate agency mucky mucks.

 

[ScannerDude244]

The BLM protects BLM land. In areas where the BLM land consists of small parcels that are isolated from each other they contract the fire protection to Cal Fire. There is very little BLM land in the Central Valley. Much of the Valley is not in the SRA, so counties and municipalities provide fire protection. These areas are called the Local Responsibility Areas (LRA). The Central California District of the BLM has one fire station west of Bakersfield, but most of its land is located east of Bakersfield up to the Sierra Crest, where the BLM's California Desert District's western boundary exists. If you explore the Cal Fire site or just do a Google search you can find maps of the entire state showing the jurisdictions across the state. There are also 18 National Forests in California which form a portion of the FRA, Federal Responsibility Area. There are 3 National Parks with significant acreage, those being Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Lassen Volcanic. I think Pinnacles National Park contracts with Cal FIre, but I'm not sure of their latest developments. The southern California Parks are largely desert, but Joshua Tree and Mojave both have fire organizations. I'm not sure if Death Valley NP has a fire organization or apparatus. I think not, I believe the Ridgecrest Field Office of the BLM provides fire protection for Death Valley. They really don't have much wildland fuel across the majority of the park.

The juxtaposition of the FRA, SRA and LRA in the state is complex, but believe me every piece of land is in the CAD (computer assisted dispatch) of every jurisdiction's computer. There are a ton of mutual aid agreements and where two jurisdictions border each other two agencies may be on the response. For example on the Sierra National Forest the land just uphill of the Forest boundary may find Cal Fire responding along with Sierra NF units. Just below the Forest boundary you will, of course, find Cal Fire responding along with Sierra NF units. Every response area has a prescribed response, which every agency has reviewed to see what will be on the response given various levels of fire danger/weather conditions.

Somewhere on the Cal Fire website are links to a county by county map or maps showing the jurisdictions at a more readable scale than the statewide map. I don't have any saved links to aid you in finding these maps. If you want a bird's eye view of every parcel of land's jurisdiction these county maps are essential.

San Benito county fire that contracts with city of Hollister fire for county fire handles the east side of the Pinnacles and BLM land, but still calls calfire for mutual aid when they have a engine staffed at Bear Valley station. City of Soledad who contracts with calfire handles the west side.

 

[ramal121]

LNU West (Sonoma Co, old SNU) has no contracts with the county save for one department that contracts dispatch services. DPA is SRA only but the interface with the county flows with ease.