Country United States City Davis & UC Davis Annual calls 1,004 (2013) Founded 1937 Hazmat 1 | State California Established 1937 (1937) Phone +1 530-754-2677 Truck 1 Stations 1 | |
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Employees 23 - Career
15 - Student Address Fire and Police Building, 625 Kleiber Hall Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA Profiles | ||
The University of California, Davis Fire Department, commonly known as the UC Davis Fire Department, provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the UC Davis campus and surrounding Davis community under an automatic aid agreement with the City of Davis. In addition to the standard risks faced by any department, the UCDFD also must handle various types of research facilities and laboratories which present unique hazards. On the UC Davis campus are 26 separate labs working with biological hazards as well as a large research center working with radiation.
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History
The need for a fire department on the UC Davis campus was first raised by the Dean of the College of Agriculture in 1917 when several hand-drawn hose carts were purchased and placed in sheds throughout the campus. Initially, this fire service was completely volunteer with students and professors assigned to each cart. Whenever a fire broke out, a whistle would sound to summon the fire fighting volunteers. In 1937, the University worked with Mayor of Davis to incorporate an organized fire protection service on the campus. In 1949, the University began its Student Resident Fire Fighter Program which was designed to teach firefighting skills to a select students. The program allowed students to receive hands-on training and professional experience in all aspects of fire and emergency services.
Staffing
One of the unique things about the UC Davis Fire Department is their Student Firefighter program. This program, which was started in 1949, teaches firefighting skills to a select group of students who both live and work at the fire station. The UCDFD has 15 student residents that are selected every two years after undergoing a physical test, an intensive interview and a firefighting academy.
After selection, they become working members of the department and are required to staff one 24-hour shift, four 14-hour shifts, and two training sessions per month in exchange for residence at the station. Additional compensation is provided when the students respond to emergency calls while not on duty. The program at UC Davis is one of only three such programs on college campuses in the United States, the others are at Clemson University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Station and apparatus
The UCDFD has a single station located at 625 Kleiber Hall Drive right in the heart of the UC Davis campus. The station, which is station 34 for follow after stations 31-33 of the Davis Fire Department, houses all five of the departments apparatus. Engine 34 is the first-run fire engine for the department with Truck 34, a combination tiller-quint, as the departments only truck.
The department is also a leading member of the Yolo County Hazardous Materials Team (HazMat) which works to eliminate threats from biological, chemical and nuclear agents as well as other dangerous goods. As such the department maintains HazMat 34 at their station.
In their reserve, the UCDFD maintains Engine 234 as a reserve engine as well as CalOES Engine 334. Under agreement from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), the state provides Engine 334 to the campus and in return, the UCDFD must staff the engine and respond to statewide calls for assistance.