Fire Administration

The Palo Alto Fire Department is organized into four divisions: Operations, Support Services, Fire Prevention and Administration.

  1. Fire Operations is the largest division with 85 Full Time Equivalent employees.  These are the management and shift staff that respond to emergency calls for service each day.  The PAFD has 23 sworn shift staff on duty every day, and has a total of three shifts on a 2/4 schedule that enable the department to provide 24/7 emergency response.
  2. The Support Services Division includes the management and oversight of Emergency Medical Service delivery and regulation compliance; operational staff training and hiring and human relations for the department.
  3. The Fire Prevention Division is housed within the Development Center and provides fire plan checks, reviews, permitting and fielding fire safety inspections.  You can find more on the Fire Prevention here.
  4. Fire Administration includes executive management function, budget and finance, performance measurement, educational outreach and general administrative support functions. 

 FY23 PAFD Organizational Chart

 

Strategic Plan

The Palo Alto Fire Department works in partnership with the Center for Public Safety Excellence to develop a community-driven Strategic Plan every five years. The plan is developed according to the guidelines set forth by the Commission on Fire Accreditation and includes participation and feedback from the community as well as all levels of Fire Department personnel. The document includes priorities set by the community, the development of the mission and values of the department and identifies strategic goals with tangible objectives and tasks. The Fire Department Command staff uses this as a living document that guides the priorities and work plans in order to accomplish the goals set forth in the plan.

Strategic Plan 2025-2030(PDF, 3MB) 

PAFD Performance Reports

The Palo Alto Fire Department is committed to monitoring performance activities. A report covering call volume, response times, significant incident information, training and succession planning is produced twice each year.

Calendar Year 2024 Annual Report(PDF, 4MB)

Calendar Year 2023 Annual Report(PDF, 5MB)

Fiscal Year 2022 - Annual Reporting(PDF, 3MB)

Fiscal Year 2021 Period 1(PDF, 280KB)

Fiscal Year 2021 Period 2(PDF, 291KB)

Fiscal Year 2020 Period 1(PDF, 2MB)

Fiscal Year 2020 Period 2(PDF, 2MB)

Fiscal Year 2019 Period 1(PDF, 5MB)

Fiscal Year 2019 Period 2(PDF, 2MB)

Fiscal Year 2018 Period 1(PDF, 6MB)

Fiscal Year 2018 Period 2(PDF, 2MB)

Back to top