The Riverside Fire Department is the agency that provides

fire protection Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...

and

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

for the city of Riverside,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. the department is responsible for servicing a population of 314,034 in an area of .

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 Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

, the owner of the Mission Inn, convinced local businessmen to contribute towards a wagon and fire buckets, costing $500. 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. 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. Nearly two decades later, in February 1906, the first

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

was built for the Riverside Fire Department at the corner of 8th and Lime Streets. The department received its first motorized unit in September 1909, with the $4,750 purchase of a Seagrave, hose wagon and chemical engine. Following another major fire in 1924 at the Motor Transit building, the number of

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, fireplug, firecock (archaic), hydrant riser or Johnny Pump is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe a ...

s in the city was doubled. By 1938, the department had grown to 33 firefighters and five engine companies spread out across four stations. Starting in 1998, the department transitioned to the

Advanced Life Support Advanced Life Support (ALS) is a set of life-saving protocols and skills that extend basic life support to further support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation (breathing). Components Key aspects of ALS level care ...

(ALS) level of support.

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 Force Members of FEMA US&R Task Force at World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks A FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (US&R Task Force) is a team of individuals specializing in urban search and rescue, disaster recovery, and emergency triage a ...

s spread out across the state. The task force is prepared to respond to a variety of emergencies or disasters, including

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

s, storms,

tornadoes A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

dam failure A dam failure or dam burst is a catastrophic type of structural failure characterized by the sudden, rapid, and uncontrolled release of impounded water or the likelihood of such an uncontrolled release. Between the years 2000 and 2009 more than ...

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...

s and other natural or man-made disasters. Some of their most notable responses include the

Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake affected Greater Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment 6.7 () blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley. Lasting approximately 8 seconds a ...

(1994), the

Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, United States, on April 19, 1995. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Perpetr ...

(1995) and

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

(2005).

Stations and apparatus

The RFD has 14

stations Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle stat ...

in the city.

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)

References

{{United States fire departments Fire departments in California

Fire Department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

Organizations based in Riverside, California 1887 establishments in California