Riverside Fire Department
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Riverside Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Riverside, California. As of 2015[update] the department is responsible for servicing a population of 314,034 in an area of 81.51 square miles (211.1 km2).[2]
 | |
 | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| City |  Riverside |
| Agency overview[1][2] | |
| Established | October 7, 1887 |
| Annual budget | $52,088,055 (2014) |
| Fire chief | Steve McKinster |
| IAFF | 1067 |
| Facilities and equipment[3] | |
| Battalions | 2 |
| Stations | 14 |
| Engines | 13 - first-run 8 - reserve |
| Trucks | 4 |
| Squads | 3 |
| Rescues | 1 |
| Tenders | 1 |
| HAZMAT | 1 |
| Wildland | 4 - Type 3 1 - Type 6 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
| IAFF website | |
History
The City of Riverside Fire Department can trace its origin back to 1875 from a newspaper article referencing the response of a hose cart to a fire in the township of Riverside. An unorganized group of volunteers existed in the Riverside township from December 1871 to April 1882. In April 1882, Frank Miller, the owner of the Mission Inn, convinced local businessmen to contribute towards a wagon and fire buckets, costing $500.[4] Subsequently, William Hayt, a businessman and owner of several stage lines, began a drive to establish a complete fire department. Hayt got the city's Board of Trustees agreement to establish the Riverside Fire Department, but only after Hayt offered to raise half the money from local businessmen, and to put up the other half of the funds himself, to be reimbursed later. Hayt was able to raise $527, he loaned the city an additional $516, and the Riverside Fire Department was officially established on October 7, 1887.[5]
The first major fire to confront the new fire department was on April 21, 1888, when the Pavilion, a large wood-frame structure used for many social occasions such as theaters, dances, and general meeting space, burned to the ground.[6] Nearly two decades later, in February 1906, the first station was built for the Riverside Fire Department at the corner of 8th and Lime Streets.[6]
By 1938, the department had grown to 33 firefighters and five engine companies spread out across four stations.[7] Starting in 1998, the department transitioned to the Advanced Life Support (ALS) level of support.[8]
USAR Task Force 6
The RFD is the sponsoring agency of California Task Force 6 (CA-TF6), one of the eight FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces spread out across the state.[9] The task force responds to emergencies and disasters.[10] Some of their most notable responses include the Northridge earthquake (1994), the Oklahoma City bombing (1995) and Hurricane Katrina (2005).[11]
Stations and apparatus
The RFD has 14 stations in the city.[3]
| Fire Station Number | Neighborhood | Engine Company | Truck Company | Squad Company | Reserve Engine or Squad | Wildland Unit | Command Unit | Specialized units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downtown | Engine 1 | Truck 1 | Squad 1 | Brush 1 | Battalion 1, Battalion 831 | UT-1, ATV 1, AMR 301 | |
| 2 | Arlington | Engine 2 | Truck 2 | Squad 2 | Battalion 2 | HazMat 2, Support 2 & UT-2 | ||
| 3 | Magnolia Center | Engine 3 | Truck 3 | Heavy Rescue 3, Water Rescue 3, UT-3, ATV 3, HART | ||||
| 4 | University | Engine 4 | Water Tender 4 | |||||
| 5 | Airport | Engine 5 | Water Tender 5 | RA-5 | Squad 835, Foam Tender 5 | Breathing Support 5 | ||
| 6 | Northside | Engine 6 | Engine 836 | Decon 6 | ||||
| 7 | Arlanza | Engine 7 | Engine 831 | OES 6314 | UT-7 | |||
| 8 | La Sierra | Engine 8 | Engine 369 | UT-8 | ||||
| 9 | Mission Grove | Engine 9 | Engine 839 | |||||
| 10 | Arlington Heights | Engine 10 | Engine 840 | Truck 841 | ||||
| 11 | Orange Crest | Engine 11 | Engine 841 | OES 369 | ||||
| 12 | La Sierra South | Engine 12 | Brush 12 | SUPPORT12 | ||||
| 13 | Sycamore Canyon | Truck 13 | Patrol 13 | UT-13 | ||||
| 14 | Canyon Crest | Engine 14 | Engine 832 | Engine 842 | Engine 8635 | UT-14, Ladder Trailer, Quad 14A & Quad 14B |
Chiefs
LaWayne Hearn (2022–present)
Michael Moore (2014-2022)
Michael Esparza (2013 - 2014)
Steven H. Earley (2009 - 2013)
Tedd Laycock (2005 - 2009)
Dave Carlson (1996 - 2005)
Michael Vonada (1993 - 1996)
Douglas Greene (1986 - 1992)
Richard Bosted (1977 - 1986)
Fred Woodard (1973 - 1977)
Burney Montgomery (1959 - 1973)
Ray Allen (1942 - 1959)
William Taylor (1938 - 1942)
Ed Mosbaugh (1931 - 1938)
Jack Hutchinson (1929 - 1931)
John Bayha (1928 - 1929)
Jack Hutchinson (1926 - 1928)
Joseph Schneider (1901 - 1926)
S.L. Wight (1897 - 1901)
W.G. Polcene (1897 - 1897)
S.R. Smith (1896 - 1897)
G.F. Ward (1890 - 1896)
J.N. Keith (1887 - 1890)