A Message From The Fire Chief
Your Cloverdale Fire Protection District is an independent fire
district having its own governing Board of Directors. The area
protected by the district includes the City of Cloverdale and
surrounding areas; east to the Geysers unit number one, west to the edge
of Lake Sonoma, north to the Mendocino County line and South to Zanzi
Lane.
The Cloverdale Fire Protection District has a long-standing tradition of
providing the highest level of public safety service to our citizens.
The fire district protects over 75 square miles in northern Sonoma
County. Providing service to such a large area is a challenge.
Revenue received from property tax and a special tax is not adequate to
sustain a paid fire department. The fire district depends on
volunteers to fulfill staffing needs. The fire district employs four
full-time and one part-time employee in addition to its volunteer work
force. CEO and Fire Marshal services are currently filled through
independent contracts. Due to the need for additional staffing, we
also contract with the CalFire (formerly CDF) for emergency response
from their Cloverdale CalFire station. The Cloverdale Fire
District and CalFire (although completely separate agencies) function
operationally as one department. This is why you will often see
both agencies responding to emergencies within our community.
Firefighters attend training sessions each week from 7:00 pm to 10:00
pm. Additional training is often scheduled on weekends. The
commitment to become a firefighter in our community is extensive.
Added to the time commitment for training is the routine call out for
emergencies. Personnel are on call 24 hours a day and often
respond throughout the night. As you sleep, your dedicated
volunteer and professional firefighters are in the community providing
service. Many of these dedicated professionals then go on to work
in their regular line of employment. The fire district cannot
express enough gratitude to our personnel. It is rewarding to see
how frequently our citizens share their appreciation for the services we
deliver.
The Cloverdale Fire Protection District has entered into negotiations
with the City of Cloverdale to address future sustainable funding for
the District and the City has agreed to use redevelopment funds to
construct a new fire station at 451 South Cloverdale Boulevard on
property owned by the District. The City and District have
completed a public safety master plan that evaluates long term needs for
our community. The Fire District is committed to finding
sustainable revenue to meet recommended staffing needs. The master
plan identified the need to hire three additional full-time firefighters
to increase our daily minimum staffing, however funds are currently not
available to meet this goal.
The Cloverdale Fire Protection District Board of Directors encourages
your participation in our effort to provide the highest level of service
we can provide. If you have any comments, or would like to attend
our public board meetings, please contact our office at 894-3545. The
Fire District Board meets on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm,
at the current fire station at 116 Broad Street.
Sincerely
Brian F. Elliott, Fire Chief