Fire suppression operations are delivered from four fire stations strategically located throughout the City.

On a first alarm assignment for a structure fire, a response includes 3 engines, 2 trucks, 1 ambulance, 1 C.A.R.E. Unit and the Division Chief vehicle.  A minimum of 20 fire personnel are assigned to a first alarm incident.  Additional alarms, due to size, location, and safety concerns, may be requested by the Incident Commander.  When this occurs it entails bringing all available Alameda Fire units to the scene and/or requesting mutual aid from other local fire departments.

Other responses for fire suppression include vehicle fires, vegetation fires, outdoor fires, trash fires, and ship/boat fires.  The Fire Department also responds to mutual aid calls from other jurisdictions within the County and the State.  Calls for mutual aid can also be for wildland fires, which requires additional training and personal protective equipment.  Wildland mutual aid responses often take our firefighters out of Alameda for up to 2 weeks at a time.

The Alameda Fire Department has been in the ambulance transport business since the late 1970's. This service commenced with a single ambulance staffed by two Firefighters/Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who provided emergency transports within the City of Alameda. Since that time, the transport service has grown with the needs of the community to four full-time Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances.

Currently all apparatus and ambulances are staffed with at least one paramedic each, providing quick ALS service to all parts of the city.

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division provides quality assurance and quality control for emergency medical first responder and ambulance transport services.  This includes training, licensing and certification of emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Personnel follow guidelines developed by Alameda County Emergency Medical Services for the delivery of emergency medical and transport services, including specialized treatment and transport to definitive care. Personnel also provide community services including, but not limited to, blood pressure testing and CPR/AED instruction.

Since its inception in 2011, The Marine Operations (MAROPS) Program of the Alameda Fire Department has been under constant review, scrutiny and growth to be able to provide water rescue services from both the shore and on the water. The Alameda Fire Department MAROPS program is staffed with shore-based rescuers, open-water rescue swimmers, two 14' inflatable rescue boats, a fire boat and a sub-surface Dive Rescue Team.

The Alameda Fire Department has trained all members in “Shore Based” water rescue and currently has 72 Certified Open-Water Rescue Swimmers. These Open-Water Rescue Swimmers deploy into the water with fins & rescue tubes or on 10' rescue boards while other trained members operate our 14' Inflatable Rescue Boats and Fire Boat to provide a quick water rescue response.

The Alameda Fire Department's sub-surface Dive Rescue Team is currently comprised of over 20 line personnel and is a resource that is available regionally. Members of the Dive Rescue Team have undergone hundreds hours of training and utilize Rescue 3 to respond to water and dive emergencies. 

The final component of the MAROPS Program is dedicated to marina and waterfront firefighting. The Fire Department operates a 32' Fire Boat named the "Deanna Jo" which has been in-service since 2014. This vessel is docked on the estuary and responds to marine fires, water rescues and other maritime emergencies.

Currently, the Alameda Fire Department has ordered a new Fire Boat from Moose Boats, LLC. This 38' foot vessel is projected to be completed before the end of 2023.

All Alameda firefighters are trained in hazardous materials response to the First Responder Operational (FRO) level.  Firefighters are able to contain and clean up small releases of certain known chemicals.  For large releases of these known chemicals, or of unknown substances, the Alameda Fire Department works in conjunction with the Alameda County Fire Department HAZMAT Team and the National Response Corporation (NRC) to mitigate, clean-up and dispose of these types of hazardous materials.

The Alameda Fire Department participates in the California Fire & Rescue Mutual Aid System which is coordinated by California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). This robust mutual aid system is a "Neighbor helping Neighbor" concept which coordinates the response of personnel and resources to major fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hazardous materials, and other disasters.

As part of the partnership with Cal OES, the Alameda Fire Department houses and staffs OES Engine 409. This "all-risk" fire engine is state owned is geared to augment Local Government response in support of the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System. When a major fire or emergency incident occurs and Cal OES needs to deploy resources, the Alameda Fire Department has agreed to staff the engine with four personnel and respond. 

The Alameda Fire Department will also deploy one of our water tenders or additional engines if requested to respond through Cal OES. 

In addition to apparatus, the Alameda Fire Department will also deploy members in overhead positions to support large scale incidents as part of the California Mutual Aid System. Some of these single resource positions include Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, Fireline Medic, and Heavy Equipment Boss.