In 2008, our firefighters responded to over 19,000 calls. Based upon the 2003 call volume the Santa Rosa Fire Department was named in Firehouse Magazine’s 2004 list of Top 150 Busy Fire Departments. No matter if it is 3 PM or 3 AM, Santa Rosa Fire Trucks can be seen moving through the streets on the way to assist someone living in, visiting or passing through our community.

Involved, dedicated and busy are words that describe the members of the Santa Rosa Fire Department. A number of these members volunteered to be involved in writing the first Strategic Five Year Plan for the Department. Through a series of meetings, this team has produced a plan that will cover the next five years for our organization. The mission and value statements of both the City and Fire Department served as important reference points in the formulation of this plan. I would like to thank these members for the time, effort and expertise they contributed to the writing of this plan.

We recognize that like any plan it will require revision and change. The plan will be evaluated, revised and refined every year resulting in a current plan always being in place. It is intended that this plan be utilized in the preparation of the annual Fire Department budget; as a method of informing Council of the department’s goals and objectives; and as a conduit for decision making.

During the past several years of tough economic times, service reductions and budget cuts have been the norm. Serving a growing community with ever-increasing demands for fire and life safety services has been increasingly difficult. The passage of Measure “O” will allow us to begin to catch up with these demands on emergency service delivery. We will still face challenges in fire prevention, community education, recruitment and training. The expansion of the Department will bring forth new opportunities and new challenges.

Our Department must be able to respond to change, solve problems, collaborate on issues, assess community needs, identify the resources required to meet those needs and formulate the plans necessary to provide comprehensive and cost effective services to our customers, the citizens and visitors of Santa Rosa.

Bruce H. Varner, Fire Chief

Executive Summary

This is the first long range planning document to be developed for the Santa Rosa Fire Department. It was written by members of the Department representing all ranks, sworn and non-sworn staff, labor and management. It is intended to be a guide for the development of our Department over the next five years. It will serve to inform Department members, policy makers and the public concerning our preparations for the future while at the same time serving as a foundation document for budget planning.

The document is designed to be reviewed and revised on an annual basis and should be coordinated in the future with the City budget process.

During the development of the plan the Mission, Values and Vision of the Department were reviewed and revised, as necessary, to reflect the Santa Rosa Fire Department in 2005 and beyond.

The plan provides historical information about the Department and demographic details for each of the eight existing fire districts currently serving the needs of the community.

We have provided an overview of each of the three Bureaus: Administration, Operations and Fire Prevention. Measure O has been incorporated into the plan and there are specific goals covering the increases and authorizations provided by the measure.

Specific goals are included for each Bureau and Division.

Grant awards are detailed in the Appendix of the document. Since 2002 the Department has applied for and received over $900,000 in federal grant funds. There are current applications submitted for almost $2 million in equipment and personnel cost offsets.