The Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) provides

firefighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

, rescue, emergency medical services, and ambulance transport services for the unincorporated communities of Idyllwild and Fern Valley, in Southern California.

History

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District began out of an all-volunteer fire department and was established in 1946. The district was established when community members reported being ignored by the

fire department A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

s who did not want to travel the long distance up the mountain, so voters took their security and protection into their own hands. It remained fully volunteer-run until 1960 when a switch was made to paid-call staff to provide 24-hour fire service. The Idyllwild Fire Protection District began providing paramedic service in 1979.

Organization

Board of Commissioners

A five-member board of commissioners, made up by elected residents, oversees the Idyllwild Fire Protection District. The board includes President Ralph Hoetger, Vice President Henry Sawicki, Secretary Rhonda Andrewson, and

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

s Christina Reitz and Dennis Fogle. Each member serves a four-year term.

Staff

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District operates one fire station, station 621. Fire personnel includes Chief Mark LaMont and three shifts, each including a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, engineer, firefighter, and reserve firefighter, with multiple paramedics assigned to each shift. Staff rotates days on-duty by assigned shift. The Idyllwild fire department also staffs a medical director, EMS coordinator, and an administrative assistant. A volunteer fire company, Idyllwild Volunteer Fire Company 621, also operates in conjunction with the district.

Operations

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District operates in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County. It is the fire station that holds the position of lowest cost to operate in Riverside County. As of 2018, the station operates on a budget of approximately 60% of the average station budget of the Riverside County Fire Department, who manages the other stations in the mountain area, while maintaining more equipment than adjoining stations and receiving an Insurance Service Office rating of 2, on a scale of 1(best) to 9(worst), where Riverside County Fire received a score of 9 in the surrounding areas. The Idyllwild Fire Protection District is also the station licensee for WNKI 578, a local emergency radio station that broadcasts to the local community.

Types of apparatus

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District utilizes a wide array of

apparatus Apparatus may refer to: *Technical term for a body of the Soviet and post-Soviet governments (see Apparatchik) *Machine *Equipment * Critical apparatus, the critical and primary source material that accompanies an edition of a text * "Apparatus" (s ...

and equipment.

Engines

*Engine 621 is an International 7400 built in 2008. *Engine 622

Truck

*Truck 621 is a Spartan Gladiator built in 2006.

Brush

*Brush 621 is an International 7400 built in 2006.

ALS ambulances

*Idyllwild Fire operates six

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

ambulances.

Other apparatus

* 2 Chief's vehicles * 1

Squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

(S621 is a Ford F-450) * 1 Water Tender (WT621 is a 1989 Pierce Dash 4×4) * 1 Patrol vehicle

Dispatch

The Idyllwild Fire Department holds a contract with Riverside County Fire Department for dispatch services.

References

External links

Official Website
{{California fire departments Ambulance services in the United States Emergency services in Riverside County, California Firefighting in California Government agencies established in 1946 Medical and health organizations based in California Fire protection districts in the United States 1946 establishments in California