Fire & Rescue Services provide the fire ground effectiveness component of the “Comprehensive Fire Effectiveness Model” and provide a wide range of benefits to the community. Its performance affects the degree of damage to the environment and property and has a direct relationship to personal injury and death from fire.

In addition, it has an impact on the short term and long term disruption of the lives of citizens who are exposed to fire in their homes or businesses, or who suffer from the results of a traumatic incident which involves a fire rescue response. Its performance also affects the short and long term economic viability of the community. The Department must strive to provide an adequate, effective and efficient fire suppression program designed to control and extinguish fires for the purpose of protecting people from injury, death and property loss.

The range of services provided by this Division are a result of a detailed risk assessment process and coincide with the objectives of the Community Strategic Plan and include the following:

  • Structural firefighting including rescue
  • Vehicle firefighting
  • Grass and brush firefighting
  • Limited marine firefighting
  • Mutual aid
  • Medical assistance with defibrillation
  • Hazardous materials response at the Technician and Specialist levels
  • Transportation incidents involving motor vehicles, trains, aircraft and water craft
  • Land based water and ice rescue
  • Public assistance, ambulance assistance, police assistance, public agency assistance
  • Community emergency planning
  • In-service public education

This service operates from 7 fire stations strategically located throughout the City to provide adequate response times and appropriate fire attack teams and operates under an incident management and accountability system for the safety of the public and firefighters.