Patterson

The mission of the Patterson Fire Department (PFD) is to protect life and property by providing all-risk emergency services to the citizens of our community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The department consist of:

• Fire Chief
• 2 Division Chiefs
• 4 Captains
• 2 Captain/Medics
• 4 Engineers
• 2 Engineer/Medics
• 3 Firefighter/Medics

Operations Division

The Operations Division is responsible for providing a coordinated and organized response to emergencies and other requests for service. The division is comprised of emergency response personnel and equipment. The daily emergency response staffing for the entire City is 6 personnel. This staffing includes a Chief Officer, 2 Captains, 2 Engineer/Firefighters and one Firefighter/Medic. 

The City provides a full range of emergency responses services including but not limited to: emergency medical services, structural fire suppression, wildland urban interface fire suppression, hazardous materials incidents, Urban Search and Rescue, water rescue, vehicle extrication, technical rescue as well as basic life support medical services. As of 2016, Advanced Life Support (ALS) is provided through our Firefighter/Medics.

Emergency response personnel respond to almost 1,600 incidents annually, of which approximately 80% are medical in nature, ranging from motor vehicle accidents and elderly falls to childbirths and heart attacks. The Operations Division often provides non-emergency customer service when there is no other public agency or private firm willing or available to assist. The Operations Division also conducts routine fire inspections on buildings in the City as well as servicing and testing the cities nearly 900 fire hydrants. 

Training Division

The Training Division provide training and proficiency testing in various areas such as fire suppression, emergency medical care, infection control, hazardous materials response, technical rescue and fire prevention. The Training Division also delivers several State and Federal certified training programs throughout the year which are open to other local agencies when possible. The division is responsible for the implementation of health and safety programs including compliance with State and Federal regulations and has management oversight of the Hazardous Materials Response, Technical Rescue and the Water Rescue Team. City-wide emergency preparedness is also supported as needed by the Training Division. The division also maintains the Fire Training Center which is co-located with Fire Station #2. Commonly referred to as the "Tower", this facility has a five story training tower, confined space props, hazardous materials props such as aboveground storage tanks auto extrication area and classroom facilities. Feel free to contact us for additional information.

History of the Department

The Patterson Fire Department (PFD) was formed in 1935, and has been operating in a seamless manner with the West Stanislaus Fire Protection District (WSFPD) since its inception. The PFD established itself as a leader in regionalized fire protection before it was common or an industry standard. The PFD and WSFPD have served as the example of how to regionalize fire protection services to benefit a diverse and large service area. This delivery platform provides for an enhanced and efficient delivery of all risk services to the citizens served in Patterson and the WSFPD. As with many smaller, rural communities, the City of Patterson Fire Department began as an all-volunteer agency. As the area grew, the City hired its first paid Fire Chief and Administrative Assistant, serving both the City and Fire District through a cooperative agreement. As the City began experiencing rapid growth in early 2000, the City hired its first two Division Chiefs to meet the needs of the ever increasing training mandates and fire prevention activities. These Chief Officers are also joint employees of the Fire District. As growth continued, so did the calls for service. To augment our dedicated Volunteer Firefighters, the first career firefighters were hired in 2005, and, as the City has grown, so has our rank-and-file. The PFD prides itself on the professionalism of its personnel, both career and volunteer and their commitment to our community.