The Fire Department provides a full range of fire prevention, fire suppression and emergency services. To reduce the impact of fire related losses in our community and to render timely and appropriate medical aid to the sick and injured, departmental resources are concentrated in three program areas: prevention, training and operations.

The Fire Department strives to prevent the occurrence or mitigate the effects of emergency situations by relying on proven and effective fire prevention programs. A key component of this effort is fuel management on City, private and other public lands to prevent a wildland/urban interface fire and resulting structural conflagration. The full fire prevention program includes development, interpretation and enforcement of codes, review of construction plans, testing of fire protection systems, abatement of identified hazards and education of the public in matters of disaster, fire and life safety. The Department utilizes a line operational Battalion Chief as Fire Marshal to oversee the Fire Prevention Program. A Fire Prevention Officer provides code enforcement, specialized inspections, coordination of the Department's line and staff prevention duties and supervises the neighborhood disaster preparedness component of the Department's public education program (the NEAT Program).

A significant portion of the Fire Department's resources is dedicated to the task of maintaining departmental resources in a ready state. All personnel must maintain a high skill level for an increasing range of responsibilities. Many of these skill levels must be tested and certified annually. Training is both a daily priority and a program vital to providing reliable emergency services. Complex equipment and apparatus require continual testing and servicing. The validation of the training and maintenance requirements and the recording of emergency actions are supported by a comprehensive administrative reporting system.

Emergency operations of the Fire Department include controlling and extinguishing fires, intervention in medical emergencies which threaten life and health, and protection of life, the environment and property from the effects of storm, flood, earthquake, disaster and hazardous chemical releases.

The Department is able to provide a timely and appropriate level of response only by active partnership with the Richmond Fire Department and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in automatic response agreements that use the combined resources of all three agencies to serve the area irrespective of jurisdictional lines. The City also has a contract to provide the Kensington Fire Protection District with fire protection services.