City Departments : Fire Department
The City of Sonoma and Valley of the Moon Fire Protection District entered into a Joint Powers Agreement on February 1, 2002, creating a public entity known as the “Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority.” The purpose of the Authority was to eliminate duplication of equipment, personnel and resources, control costs and provide higher levels of fire and rescue services to both communities. Both agencies are now realizing substantial benefits to the citizens and taxpayers of the City and District by employing common equipment, resources and personnel under consolidated administration and operations.
The Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority has operated under combined management staffing since its inception. This group is made up of the senior staff from both the Sonoma Fire Department and Valley of the Moon Fire District. This common administration allows for depth in management of the organization and provides for appropriate administrative coverage as vacancies in this management group occur.
Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority covers an area of 31.5 square miles and a resident population of approximately 33,000 operating out of four fire stations. SVFRA serves the communities of Sonoma, Boyes Hot Springs, El Verano, Fetters Hot Springs, Agua Caliente, Diamond-A, Temelec and Seven Flags.
Staffing consists of a Fire Chief, four Division Chiefs, 11 Captains, 14 Engineers, 35 Part time Firefighters, 6 full-time EMS employees, 30 part time EMS employees and four clerical staff. Many of the employees are Paramedics. By using cross-trained Firefighter/Paramedics, the Department provides increased firefighting capacity while operating the Fire Med ambulance service that serves the entire Sonoma Valley an area of approximately 100 square miles.
Fire Chief – Phillip Garcia