San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District - Fire Fighting and Medical Apparatus

Fire Fighting and Medical Apparatus

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District’s fleet is made up of the following in-service units emergency vehicles/fire apparatus:

• Nineteen (19) Type 1 engines - These are used as a front-line responder to most emergencies. They are the primary choice of engine for structure fires. Every station in the district is staffed with at least one (1) Type 1 engine, some stations contain two Type 1 engines. All engines are designated with an E followed by their station number. Stations with two Type 1 engines will have one of the engines designated with an A after the station number.
• Three (3) Type 1 ladder trucks (105 ft) - These are used as a secondary response for structure fires. They may be occasionally used to respond to traffic incidents, medical emergencies, etc. All trucks are designated with a T followed by their station number.
• Eleven (11) wildland units - These include eight (8) Type 3 engines and three (3) Type 4 engines. Additionally, the District is equipped with: One 1,500 gallon all-wheel water tender (with 60 gallons of AFFF foam), two 2,800 gallon water tenders with a 3,000 gallon porta-tank, & one 2,500 gallon all-wheel-drive water tender, which carries Class A and AFFF foam with portable pumps and tanks. Wildland engines are designated with an E3 followed by their station number. Water tenders are designated with a WT followed by a number designating the type of tender, and then followed by their station number.
• Five (5) Rescue Medic ambulances - These are ambulances staffed by three (3) people. These will respond to all medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, and may respond to fire and other emergencies. These are 24/7 ambulances with extrication tools available.
• Two (2) Paramedic Unit ambulances - There are ambulances staffed by two (2) people. These will respond to all medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, and may respond to fire and other emergencies. These are reserve ambulances that can be called in action when needed. These do not contain extrication tools.

In addition to the ambulances, the District maintains two reserve ambulances and a multi-casualty unit that can be placed into action immediately to cover maintenance needs or assist in large-scale incidents.

The District’s Type 1 engines, Type 3 engines and all trucks carry Advanced Life Support (ALS) emergency medical equipment, including oxygen, defibrillator units and ALS medications. In addition, these vehicles are fully equipped to respond as needed to mitigate any emergency including fire, rescue, hazardous material spill or vehicle accident.

The District’s Breathing Support Unit (BS31) is a multi-functional piece of equipment that can fill both high and low pressure air bottles, supplying six bottles at a time in fewer than two minutes with an air storage capacity capable of filling 100 bottles. The unit is also equipped with large pop-up scene lights, salvage equipment, medical supplies and other items, such as hot coffee, soups and beverages for the comfort of crews working on an extended incident. This apparatus will typically respond to all fires.

The District's Urban Search and Rescue Unit (USR134), deemed the district's heavy rescue unit, is an apparatus which responds to confined-space rescue situations, vehicle accidents, and fires. It contains all tools necessary to complete rescue operations. Because of the advancement of other apparatus in the district, this is becoming more of a specialty vehicle.

The District's Hazmat Unit (HM35) is a unit which responds to all hazardous materials emergenices. This particular unit contains a mobile technical reference office for firefighters, as well as a mobile laboratory to test unknown substances and materials.

The District's Communication Support Unit (CS131) is a mobile communication center used for backing up the district's permanent communication center. This unit can answer remote 9-1-1 calls and combine radio frequencies from outside agencies. It has the capability of being a mobile command center, with: backup power generators, 4 workstations, a small planning/conference room, and a bathroom. This unit has been used previously in multiple agency responses in the county.

The District has a number of other specialty vehicles (salvage unit, repair units, etc.) which are used in a wide variety of responses. The District also has spare and older apparatus which is used for training purposes, but can also be used to replace apparatus that needs to be repaired.