Ventura County Fire Department

The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for seven other cities within the county. Together, these areas compose the Ventura County Fire Protection District in the state of California, USA. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors is the fire district's board of directors. These five elected supervisors appoint the fire chief, and task him with providing fire protection services for the district.

Ventura County Fire Department

Committed to excellence, delivered with pride.[1]
Operational area
Country	United States
State	California
County	Ventura
Agency overview[2]
Established	May 11, 1928
Annual calls	32,110 (2018)
Employees	583 total (2018) 395 Safety 158 Non-safety
Annual budget	$126 million (2012)
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	Mark Lorenzen[1]
EMS level	ALS
Facilities and equipment[2]
Battalions	5
Stations	33
Engines	32 frontline 16 reserve
Trucks	3 frontline 2 reserve
Quints	1 frontline 1 reserve
Squads	2
Rescues	3
Tenders	2
HAZMAT	1
USAR	3
Airport crash	1
Wildland	11
Bulldozers	3 frontline 1 reserve
Helicopters	4
Fireboats	1
Light and air	2
Website
Official website

In addition to the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, the department currently provides the following cities with service: Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks.

History

On May 11, 1928 the Ventura County Fire Protection District (VCFPD) was established. It wasn't for another two years that a 24-hour Fire Warden was placed on duty.[3]

As the population of the county grew, the VCFD grew as well. In 1946 the department added radios to all of their trucks and rose to a total of 34 personnel. Nearly 33 years later in 1969, the department added a second radio frequency and added a full-time dispatch center at Station 31 in Thousand Oaks. Four years later in 1973, VCFD changed their engines from traditional Fire Engine Red to Yellow.[3]

Apparatus

Engine and medic engine

Ventura County uses two main types of engines. The first is the standard engine, which is often referred to as a "triple-combination pumper" as it has a fire pump, water tank and fire hose. Each engine can deliver 1,500 GPM of water and carry 500 gallons of water. The engines also carry multiple ground ladders and different types of hose.[4] The second type of engine is the Medic Engine. The only real difference between the medic engine and the standard engine is that the medic engines are capable of advanced life support (ALS) with a firefighter also being a fully trained Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic.[5]

In addition to the main engines, Ventura County also has reserve engines which are older engines kept as backups or for use on major incidents. Two of the department reserve engines are provided by the Office of Emergency Services.[6]

Wildland fire engines

Ventura County has 11 Type 3 wildland fire engines that are specifically designed for fighting woodland fires. One feature that sets these engines apart from the standard engines is their ability to pump water from a 500-gallon tank while on the move. This allows firefighters to make a running attack on the fire.[7]

Helicopters

Air Unit Fire Support Bell HH-1H

Ventura County has four Helicopters that are jointly used by the VCFD and the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.[8] The fleet of helicopters is made up of four different Bell UH-1 Hueys, one each of the HH-1H, UH-1H, Bell 205B and Bell 212.[9] Each Huey can carry up to nine firefighters, can fly up to 100 miles per hour, and features a 375-gallon water tank that can be used to make drops onto fires. In September 2019 Ventura County incorporated three UH-60 helicopters for firefighting use. The surplus helicopters, obtained from the U.S. Army, are referred to as Firehawks and have been modified for crew transport, patient transport, and to carry water-dropping belly tanks. They provide increased speed (160 miles per hour) and water carrying capacity (1,000 gallons) over the existing fleet.[10][8] In addition to fire fighting missions, the Hueys and Firehawks are used for search and rescue, emergency medical services, marijuana eradication and surveillance.[9]

Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Units (ARFF)

The Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting units are designed to fight large flammable liquid fires, specifically aircraft fires. They are also utilized on gasoline fires in refineries or tanker trucks on the highway. The engines carry 1,500 gallons of water and is fitted with a pump capable of 1,250 GPM. Two hundred gallons of foam concentrate is also carried on board.[11]

Dozers

To aid in fighting wildfires, VCFD has multiple bulldozers. The dozers, as they are known, travel as a three piece unit consisting of the dozer itself, a tractor-trailer that transports the dozer and a tender that carries tools for servicing the dozer in the field.[12]

Fire boat

The VCFD has a 38-foot fireboat stationed at the Channel Islands Harbor. It is outfitted with a 1,000 GPM water cannon.[13]

Emergency operations

Bolded stations serve as quarters for the various Battalion chiefs in the VCFD.

Battalion 1

Headquartered at Station 54, Battalion 1 services the Camarillo and Somis areas as well as the department's Special Operations activities. Special operations include dealing with hazardous materials, urban search and rescue, water rescue and specialized fire fighting activities such as shipboard and aircraft emergencies.[14]

#	Equipment	Address	City	Nickname	Reference
50	Engine 50 Crash 50 Hazmat 50 Squad 50 Foam 50 Utility 50	189 S. Las Posas Rd.	Camarillo	Camarillo Airport	[15]
52	Medic Engine 52 Engine 152	5353 Santa Rosa Rd.	Camarillo	Mission Oaks	[16]
54	Battalion 1 Engine 54 Truck 54 USAR 154 USAR 54	2160 Pickwick Dr.	Camarillo	Camarillo	[14]
55	Engine 55 Engine 155 Brush Engine 355	403 Valley Vista Dr.	Camarillo	Las Posas	[17]
57	Engine 57 Brush Engine 357 Utility 57 Light & Air 57	3356 Somis Rd.	Somis	Somis	[18]

Battalion 2

Headquartered at Station 23, Battalion 2 services the Ojai Valley area as well as parts of the north coast.[19]

#	Equipment	Address	City	Nickname	Reference
20	Engine 20 Patrol 20	12727 Santa Paula-Ojai Rd.	Santa Paula	Summitt	[20]
21	Medic Engine 21 Engine 121 Utility 21 Brush Engine 321	1201 E. Ojai Av.	Ojai	Ojai	[21]
22	Engine 22 Brush Engine 322	466 S. La Luna Av.	Meiners Oaks	Meiners Oaks	[22]
23	Medic Engine 23 Rescue 23 Battalion 2	15 Kunkle St.	Oak View	Oak View	[19]
25	Engine 25 Engine 125 Water Rescue 25	5674 W. Pacific Coast Highway	Ventura	Rincon	[23]

Battalion 3

Headquartered at Station 30, Battalion 3 services the area of Conejo Valley.[24]

#	Equipment	Address	City	Nickname	Reference
30	Engine 30 Battalion 3 Brush Engine 330 Part Time Engine 85	325 W. Hillcrest Dr.	Thousand Oaks	Civic Center	[24]
31	Medic Rescue Engine 31 Rescue 31 Rescue 131	151 N. Duesenberg Dr.	Thousand Oaks	Westlake	[25]
32	Medic Engine 32 Engine 132 Utility 32	830 Reino Rd.	Newbury Park	Potrero	[26]
33	Engine 33 Brush Engine 333 Patrol 33	33 Lake Sherwood Dr.	Thousand Oaks	Lake Sherwood	[27]
34	Medic Engine 34 Engine 134 Utility 34	555 E. Avenida de Los Arboles	Thousand Oaks	Arboles	[28]
35	Engine 35 Truck 35 Command 11 OES Reserve Engine 344	751 Mitchell Rd.	Newbury Park	Newbury Park	[29]
36	Medic Engine 36 Engine 136 Utility 36	855 Deerhill Rd.	Oak Park	Oak Park	[30]
37	Engine 37 Utility Van 37 Light & Air 37	2010 Upper Ranch Rd.	Thousand Oaks	North Ranch	[31]

Battalion 4

Headquartered at Station 41, Battalion 4 services the areas of Simi Valley and Moorpark .[32]

#	Equipment	Address	City	Nickname	Reference
40	Medic Engine 40 Engine 140 Water Tender 40 Utility 40 USAR 40	4185 Cedar Springs St.	Moorpark	Mountain Meadows	[33]
41	Engine 41 Truck 41 Battalion 4	1910 Church St.	Simi Valley	Church Street	[32]
42	Engine 42 Engine 142 Brush Engine 342	295 E. High Street	Moorpark	Moorpark	[34]
43	Medic Engine 43 Brush Engine 343 Patrol 43	5874 E. Los Angeles Av.	Simi Valley	Yosemite	[35]
44	Quint 44 Quint 144 Part Time Engine 86 Truck 140	1050 Country Club Dr.	Simi Valley	Wood Ranch	[36]
45	Engine 45 Engine 145 Dozer 14	790 Pacific Av.	Simi Valley	Pacific Street	[37]
46	Engine 46 OES Engine 397	3265 Tapo St.	Simi Valley	Tapo Street	[38]
47	Medic Engine 47 Truck 147 Utility 47	2901 Erringer Rd.	Simi Valley	Big Sky	[39]

Battalion 5

Headquartered at Station 51, Battalion 5 services the areas of the Santa Clara River Valley, El Rio and Port Hueneme.[40]

#	Equipment	Address	City	Nickname	Reference
26	Engine 26 Squad 26 Engine 126	536 W. Main St.	Santa Paula	West Santa Paula	[41]
27	Rescue Engine 27 Rescue 27 Water Tender 27 Dozer 12 Utility 27 Rescue 127	613 Old Telegraph Rd.	Fillmore	Fillmore	[42]
28	Medic Engine 28 Brush Engine 328 Patrol 16	513 N. Church St.	Piru	Piru	[43]
29	Engine 29 Brush Engine 329	114 S. 10th St.	Santa Paula	Santa Paula	[44]
51	Day Engine 83 Day Engine 84 Battalion 5	3302 Turnout Park Cr.	Oxnard	El Rio	[40]
53	Medic Engine 53 Water Rescue 53 OES Swiftwater 10	304 N. Second St.	Port Hueneme	Port Hueneme	[45]
56	Engine 56 Patrol 56 Engine 356	11855 Pacific Coast Highway	Malibu	Malibu	[46]

Organization

VCFD is under the auspices of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, who appoint the Fire Chief. Reporting directly to the Fire Chief, the Deputy Fire Chief oversees the five bureaus within the department:

• Emergency Services Bureau
• Support Services Bureau
• Administrative Services Bureau
• Fire Prevention Bureau
• Business Services Bureau

Bureau of Emergency Services

This bureau provides fire suppression, emergency medical care, hazardous materials response, Urban search and rescue, swift water rescue, and the Fire Training Section. Under the command of an assistant chief, the bureau composes all three divisions of fire stations, as well as the Fire Training and Emergency Medical Services Sections.

References

1. "Chief's Message". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
2. "Ventura County Fire Department Annual Reports". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
3. "History". Ventura County Fire Protection District. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
4. "Engine" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
5. "Medic Engine" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
6. "Reserve Engine" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
7. "Brush Engine" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
8. "Copter" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
9. "Air Unit". Ventura County Sheriff. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
10. Childs, Jeremy (September 5, 2019). "New helicopter lifts capabilities for Ventura County Air Unit". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
11. "Crash Rescue" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
12. "Dozer" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
13. "Fire Boat" (PDF). Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
14. "Station 54". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
15. "Station 50". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
16. "Station 52". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
17. "Station 55". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
18. "Station 57". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
19. "Station 23". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
20. "Station 20". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
21. "Station 21". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
22. "Station 22". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
23. "Station 25". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
24. "Station 30". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
25. "Station 31". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
26. "Station 32". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
27. "Station 33". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
28. "Station 34". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
29. "Station 35". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
30. "Station 36". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
31. "Station 37". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
32. "Station 41". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
33. "Station 40". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
34. "Station 42". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
35. "Station 43". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
36. "Station 44". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
37. "Station 45". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
38. "Station 46". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
39. "Station 47". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
40. "Station 51". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
41. "Station 26". vcfd.org. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
42. "Station 27". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
43. "Station 28". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
44. "Station 29". vcfd.org. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
45. "Station 53". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
46. "Station 56". Ventura County Fire Department. Retrieved September 10, 2019.

External links

• Ventura County Fire Department Official Website
  • PulsePoint - Live Incident Descriptions of the Ventura County Fire Dept.
  • Fire Stations Map and Links
  • Annual Reports
  • VCAlert sign up
  • VCFD Meet Our Team
  • VCFD Facebook page
  • VCFD Instagram
  • VCFD Nextdoor page
  • VCFD Twitter
  • VCFD Vimeo page
  • VCFD Youtube page