San Bernardino County Fire Department

San Bernardino County Fire Department
Name	San Bernardino County Fire Department
Established	1927
Staffing	Career
Stations	33+
Engines	70+
Trucks	10+
Rescues	20+
Ambulances	100+
Wildland engines	40+
Helicopters	3+

San Bernardino County Fire Department is a large regional fire protection and emergency medical services agency serving San Bernardino County, California. The department provides structural fire suppression, wildland fire management, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, and emergency medical care across a jurisdiction that includes urban centers, mountain communities, desert regions, and tribal lands. It operates within the legal and political frameworks of California and coordinates with neighboring agencies, federal partners, and local municipalities.

History

The department traces its origins to early 20th‑century volunteer brigades and municipal fire companies in San Bernardino, California, Rialto, California, and Fontana, California that responded to industrial growth and railroad expansion. During the Depression and World War II eras the county consolidated services, influenced by policies from the California State Fire Marshal and federal civil defense initiatives. Postwar suburbanization around Ontario, California and Victorville, California prompted expansion of career firefighting under county ordinances and county board of supervisors actions. Landmark incidents such as large wildfire seasons and multijurisdictional mutual aid responses have shaped operational doctrine in concert with federal agencies like the United States Forest Service and National Park Service. Over decades the department integrated modern emergency medical protocols influenced by the American Heart Association and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians standards.

Organization and Administration

The department is structured with divisions for operations, fire prevention, training, emergency medical services, and administrative support, reporting to the county executive and elected San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. Leadership positions interact with state regulators, including the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California Office of Emergency Services. Labor relations involve professional associations and labor unions representing firefighters and paramedics, engaging in collective bargaining under California labor law. Fiscal oversight and capital projects are coordinated with the county treasurer, transportation planning authorities such as the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, and regional planning agencies.

Operations and Services

Operational responsibilities include structural firefighting in municipalities such as Highland, California and Hesperia, California, wildland response in the San Bernardino Mountains and Mojave Desert, urban search and rescue in collaboration with FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, and hazardous materials mitigation with California Highway Patrol and county public health officials. The department operates advanced life support ambulance services incorporating protocols from the American College of Surgeons trauma guidelines and regional emergency medical services agencies. Incident command follows the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System for large complex incidents, often integrating with mutual aid partners including Los Angeles County Fire Department, Riverside County Fire Department, and federal land management agencies.

Stations and Apparatus

Facilities range from urban stations in San Bernardino, California and Barstow, California to remote stations in mountain communities adjacent to San Bernardino National Forest and tribal reservations such as Morongo Band of Mission Indians lands. Apparatus inventory includes Type 1 engines, Type 3 and Type 6 wildland engines, aerial ladder trucks, rescue units, water tenders, and ambulances built to standards from the National Fire Protection Association and the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. Specialized apparatus supports swiftwater rescue on waterways like the Santa Ana River and high‑angle rescue in canyon areas near Big Bear Lake. Station design and deployment planning reference studies by academic institutions such as University of California, Riverside and regional emergency planning councils.

Training and Emergency Medical Services

Training centers deliver firefighter recruit academies, live‑burn evolutions, hazardous materials technician courses, and technical rescue certification aligned with national standards from the National Fire Academy and the International Association of Fire Fighters training curricula. EMS training emphasizes cardiac care, trauma management, and prehospital protocols consistent with the American Heart Association and the Emergency Medical Services Authority (California). The department maintains continuing education partnerships with community colleges like San Bernardino Valley College and coordinates mass casualty exercise programs with hospitals such as Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Wildland Fire Management

Wildfire strategy leverages fuel management, prescribed burning, defensible space inspections, and cooperative agreements with the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and state fire agencies. Tactical operations include hand crews, dozers, air tactical support with helicopters and airtankers coordinated through the Interagency Coordinating Center and regional fire caches. Operational lessons draw on major California incidents such as the Cedar Fire and other large Southern California wildfires, integrating advances in fire science from institutions like the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station.

Community Risk Reduction and Public Education

Risk reduction programs encompass defensible space outreach, community emergency response training in partnership with Community Emergency Response Team program affiliates, school fire safety curricula with local school districts including the Rialto Unified School District, and stakeholder engagement with tribal governments and municipal councils. Public education campaigns reference standards from the National Fire Protection Association and collaborate with media outlets, neighborhood councils, and nonprofit organizations to promote preparedness for wildfire, heat events, and other regional hazards.

Category:Fire departments in California Category:San Bernardino County, California