Cooperative Efforts

Under what is known as the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement, CAL FIRE assists other fire departments within the State when local resources are depleted and Department resources are available, regardless of the type of disaster. In turn, CAL FIRE can access the local government fire departments through the same agreement for assistance in wildland fire suppression.

The Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) can also request CAL FIRE assistance with non-fire emergencies when the Governor has declared a State of Emergency. Such was the case during the Northridge earthquake of 1993, Napa earthquake of 2014, floods of 1997 and the Oroville Dam incident in 2017 when CAL FIRE provided flood-fighting crews and incident management and logistical support services.

When California is under siege with wildland fires across the state and resources are stretched thin, agreements with our local government cooperators through the California Fire Assistance Agreement (CFAA) and the California Military Department provide for California National Guard resources. The local government agencies provide personnel and equipment throughout the state and the National Guard provide Fire Crews, C-130 aircraft known as Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS), water dropping and medical rescue helicopters, support personnel, communications equipment, and other specialized resources.

Since the 1940s, local government entities such as cities, counties and districts have contracted with CAL FIRE to provide many forms of emergency services for their communities. CAL FIRE provides full-service fire protection to many of the citizens of California through the administration of 145 cooperative fire protection agreements in 33 of the State's 58 counties, 30 cities, 32 fire districts and 25 other special districts and service areas. As a full-service fire department CAL FIRE responds to wildland fires, structure fires, floods, hazardous material spills, swift water rescues, civil disturbances, earthquakes, and medical emergencies of all kinds. Local governments are able to utilize this diversity and experience through their contracts and agreements with the Department.

Counties

The following Counties have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements can be for a wide variety of services depending upon a local government entities needs.

Alameda  Alpine  Amador Butte Calaveras El Dorado Fresno

Humboldt Lassen Madera Mariposa Mendocino  Merced Monterey

Napa Nevada Placer Riverside San Diego

San Mateo Santa Clara Santa Cruz San Luis Obispo Shasta Siskiyou

Sonoma Tehama Trinity Tuolumne Yuba

Cities

The following Cities have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements can be for a wide variety of services depending upon a local government entities needs. CAL FIRE provides service to all the cities listed below. Service provided to cities within Riverside County is provided through cooperative agreements with Riverside County Fire. CAL FIRE provides service to Riverside County Fire through a cooperative agreement.

29 Palms Auburn  Atwater Banning Beaumont Biggs Calimesa Calistoga  Canyon Lake

Coachella Desert Hot Springs Elsinore Eastvale Grass Valley  Gridley Highland Indian Wells

Indio  Jurupa Valley La Quinta Madera Moreno Valley Manifee Morgan Hill Norco Oroville

Palm Desert Paradise Perris Pismo Beach Rancho Mirage Red Bluff Rebidoux San Jacinto

St. Helena Soledad Temecula Ukiah  Weed Wildomar Willows  Yucaipa

 

Fire Protection Districts

The following Fire Protection Districts have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements can be for a wide variety of services depending upon a local government entities needs.

Arcata FPD Aromas Tri County FPD Cachagua FPD  Carmel Highlands FPD Cloverdale FPD Coastside FPD  Cypress FPD Deer Springs FPD Diamond Springs/El Dorado FDP East Contra Costa FPD

Elk Creek FPD Fresno County FPD Groveland FPD  Hamilton City FPD Higgins FPD Kanawha FPD Kelseyville FPD Meeks Bay FPD  Monte Rio FPD North Sonoma North Tahoe FPD Coast FPD Pajaro Valley FPD

San Diego County FPD South Lake County FPD South Monterey County FPD South Santa Clara County FPD Truckee FPD

 

County Service Areas

The following County Service Areas (CSA) have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements can be for a wide variety of services depending upon a local government entities needs. 

Fresno/Shaver Lake CSA #31 Pajaro Dunes CSA #1 San Mateo CSA#1

Siskiyou/McCloud CSA #4 Sonoma/Sea Ranch CSA #40 Sonoma/Wilmar CSA#40

 

Community Service Districts

The following Community Service Districts have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements can be for a wide variety of services depending upon a local government entities needs.

Avila Beach  Cameron Park CSD  Comptche CSD Dagget CSD Loma Rica/Browns Valley  Morongo Valley CSD

Newberry Springs CSD Pebble Beach CSD  Rubidoux CSD Weott CSD Yermo CSD

 

Water Districts

The following Water Districts have Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements can be for a wide variety of services depending upon a local government entities needs.

Arrowbear County Water District
Bitte County-Enhanced Hazard Abatement
Metropolitan Water District 
Nevada County Fire Planner
Ramona MWD 
Upper Llagas Creek MWD 

 

Others

Donner Summit Public Utility District  Firenet Lassen

Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint College District Sierra-Sac Valley EMS  Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital

 

Wildland Fire Agreements

The following Cities have Wildland Fire Protection Agreements with CAL FIRE. These agreements augment existing city fire department resources specifically for wildland fire fighting services.

Anaheim City Auburn City Beaumont Calimesa Chino City Chino Valley Independent FD  Colton

Jarupa Valley  Lake Elsinore Loma Linda City  Menifee  Murrieta City

Redlands City  Rocklin City Shasta Lake  Tiburon  Truckee City  Wildomar

The largest of CAL FIRE's cooperative programs involves an agreement for the exchange of fire protection services with the five federal wildland fire agencies, which includes the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Parks Service (NPS) Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The purpose of the CFMA is to improve efficiency by having access to federal personnel, equipment, supplies, services, information throughout the United States to help in times of disaster, when Department resources are depleted. In turn, CAL FIRE provides assistance, through interstate compact agreements to the federal and other state wildfire agencies throughout the nation. This agreements focus is on wildland fires, but if an all-hazard emergency or disaster is Presidentially‐Declared the CFMA is an avenue to utilize our federal cooperators.  Additionally, having the closest agency respond to a wildfire, regardless of jurisdiction better service the citizens of California and the CAL FIRE mission.

CAL FIRE is currently authorized to operate 30 Conservation Camps statewide that house nearly 3,040 inmates and wards. These camps are operated in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Through these cooperative efforts CAL FIRE is authorized to operate 152 fire crews year-round. These crews are available to respond to all types of emergencies including wildfires, floods, search and rescue, and earthquakes. When not responding to emergencies, the crews are busy with conservation and community service work projects for state, federal, and local government agencies. Fire crews perform several million hours of emergency response each year, and more on work projects.

In CNR there are 16 camps for a total of 81 allocated crews

In CSR there are 14 camps for a total of 71 allocated crews

The CAL FIRE Crew Program operates in conjunction with the California Conservation Corps (CCC) and the California National Guard (CNA) to staff Fire Crews in accordance with their respective master interagency agreements. CAL FIRE is currently authorized to operate 16 CAL FIRE Firefighter Crews, 24 CCC Fire Crews, 4 Parolee Fire Crews and 13 CNA Fire Crews, providing a total of 1,428 firefighters statewide. These crews are available to respond to all types of emergencies including wildfires, floods, search and rescue, and earthquakes. When not responding to emergencies, the crews engage in hazardous fuels reduction and prescribed fire project work to protect the community and resources of California.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is responsible for fire protection within State Responsibility Areas (SRA). SRA is found in 56 of California's 58 counties and totals more than 31 million acres.

In most cases SRA is protected directly by CAL FIRE, however, in Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, SRA fire protection is provided by the counties under contract with CAL FIRE. Known as "Contract Counties", they protect 3.4 million acres of SRA.

Under this agreement, Contract Counties are responsible for providing initial attack response to fires on SRA within their counties.  CAL FIRE provides funding to the six counties for prevention and suppression of wildland fire on the SRA.  This funding provides fire protection services including salary and wages of suppression crews, maintenance of firefighting facilities, pre-fire management positions, special repairs, and administrative services. Currently, the state funds 68 fire stations, 82 fire engines, 12 bulldozers, 10 fire prevention officers, and positions within the 6 emergency command centers of the six counties.

CAL FIRE continues to provide other services to Contract Counties including urban forestry grants, resource management assistance, fire investigation support, and training.