Organizational Structure
The largest and most visible part of CDF operations is fire suppression. Operations are divided into 21 Operational Units, which geographically follow county lines. Each unit consists of the area of one to three counties. Operational Units are grouped under two regions: Coast-Cascade and Sierra-South.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is part of CDF and oversees activities including fire prevention, regulation of fire safety, and pipeline safety. All gas cans sold in California, for example, must be approved by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and marked with the Office's seal.
CAL FIRE owns and operates its own fleet of air tankers, air tactical aircraft and helicopters, which are managed under the Aviation Management Program, additional aviation resources are leased by the department when needed. The CAL FIRE Air Program is one of the largest non-military air programs in the country, consisting of 23 Grumman S-2T 1,200 gallon airtankers, 14 OV-10A airtactical aircraft and 11 UH-1H Super Huey helicopters. From the 13 air attack and nine helitack bases located statewide, aircraft can reach most fires within 20 minutes.
A statewide CAL FIRE training academy is operated at Ione, east of Sacramento. The facility is contiguous to Mule Creek State Prison. All CAL FIRE employees go through the CAL FIRE academy once they are promoted past the Firefighter I classification.
Read more about this topic: California Department Of Forestry And Fire Protection
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