Fire Department Staffing & Response FAQs
How many calls does Palo Alto Fire Department handle annually?
In 2024, PAFD responded to 9,881 calls for service, an increase of 5% over 2023 and 1.5% of those calls were fire related. The City has 6 full time fire stations, with a total of 5 engines, one ladder truck, and 3 ambulances, with resources deployed strategically to be most effective for emergency response to the City’s and Stanford’s needs as a whole—not individual neighborhoods. For example, the City’s single ladder truck is best stationed close to most of the City’s high rises, which are Downtown and on Stanford’s campus.
Specific to the neighborhood areas around Fire Station 4, 73% of emergency responses are medical emergencies, so having an ambulance at Fire Station 4 is very beneficial. The fire engines from Fire Stations 3 (Rinconada) and 5 (Juana Briones/Barron Park) respond to an incident in Fire Station 4’s neighborhoods within the same time frame that other neighborhoods receive.
How are resources deployed to emergencies in Palo Alto?
PAFD works as a citywide system to respond quickly to any incident. PAFD provides fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) throughout the City and Stanford, and as noted 1.5% of all calls related to fires. Palo Alto is unique as it manages its own emergency medical transport services, the only community that has this service delivery model in Santa Clara County.
PAFD uses GPS locations of all of its apparatus to best determine which resource to send to an emergency a GPS signal provides an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) to ensure that the closest resource responds, providing the quickest response possible.
What has been done to restore fire staffing and resources?
In FY21, due to budget constraints in response to the pandemic, the City Council reduced fire staffing and programming to address a $40 million deficit. Impacts included brownouts at Fire Station 2 on nights and weekends. Enhancements have been made to reconfigure staffing and resources since that time. In FY22, Council budget enhancements supported a communitywide approach, ensuring resources at all six stations based on service needs. As noted, these changes have ensured consistent fire and emergency medical response citywide.
Additional investment in emergency medical and fire response supports the whole community and a near-term proposal to add a fire engine to the current ambulance staffing at Fire Station 4 will be considered by the City Council later in February. This recommendation supports emergency response Citywide while long-term staffing and funding options continue to take shape to respond to changing service demand, population growth and other priorities.
The near-term proposal would add a fire engine to the current ambulance at Fire Station 4 and includes adding one additional person to Fire Station 4, for a total of three personnel. The three personnel would staff both the fire engine and the ambulance or what is known as cross-staffing. This is consistent with pre-COVID staffing at Fire Station 4. PAFD determines which apparatus (engine or ambulance) responds to a call based on the nature of the emergency. This proposal also involves putting into service one of PAFD’s two reserve fire engines.
Does the Palo Alto Fire Station 4 Replacement Project Design Accommodate for the Addition of both Staffing and Fire Engine Long-Term?
Yes, the design accommodates for long-term staffing changes. The approved design includes additional space, allowing it to grow with service level demands and population increases in this part of the City. The design includes accommodations for 5 personnel and 3 fire apparatus. The design supports the long-term plan to staff an engine and an ambulance at Fire Station 4 as soon as reasonably possible. The temporary Fire Station 4 at Cubberley also has the flexibility to support the interim approach noted above adding 1 firefighter and a fire engine in addition to the ambulance.
How will near-term recommendation change the current staffing at Fire Station 4?
This near-term proposal includes a staffing model called cross-staffing, this includes adding one additional person to Fire Station 4, through overtime, for a total of three personnel. The three personnel would staff both the fire engine and the ambulance. This is consistent with pre-COVID staffing at Fire Station 4. PAFD determines which apparatus (engine or ambulance) responds to a call based on the nature of the emergency. When either the fire engine or ambulance is responding to an incident, the other is taken out of service and emergency call responses are handled from other stations.
What is the difference between a fire engine and a ladder-truck?
Palo Alto fire engines have a water pump, carries 500 gallons of water and a compliment of fire hose to be effective in extinguishing a variety of fires.
(PAFD Fire Engine, with water)
The Palo Alto ladder-truck has a 110-foot aerial ladder, in addition to many other ground ladders, a compliment of tools to assist in auto extrication, rescue, ventilation and other needs related to the incidents typically seen in the City.
(PAFD Fire Truck, no water)
How has fire staffing changed over the years?
In FY 06/07 there were 126 budgeted FTE positions in the fire department. This FTE number includes all fire personnel: suppression, fire prevention, administration and senior staff.
During this time, Fire Station 7 was still open staffed daily with 3, and Rescue 2 was in service, staffed daily with 3 personnel.
As part of the FY 2025 Adopted Budget, there are 113 budgeted FTE in the Fire Department. The lower staffing level is mainly resulting from the closure of Fire Station 7 in FY 2013, and restructuring of the Fire Services contract with the University of Stanford in FY 2018 (Staff Report #8530).
How is the ladder truck deployed versus engines in Palo Alto?
Fire engines generally are the first unit dispatched on all fire department incidents. Incidents ranging from a structure fire, medical aid, technical rescue, fire alarm, hazmat etc. to non-emergent incidents such as service calls, post fire investigations, hazmat Level 1 calls, and trouble fire alarms. Fire engines have a 500-gallon water tank, thousands of feet of fire hose and a cache of ladders and tools.
Ladder trucks are specialized apparatus typically utilized for specific operations on emergencies: search and rescue, ventilation, auto extrication, low and high angle rescue, forcible entry and technical rescue operations. Unlike fire engines, the truck does not have a water tank and fire hose. The ladder truck is dispatched on all confirmed structure fires, rescue responses, and technical rescue incidents. In Palo Alto, the ladder truck is the second due unit on incidents when the engine is unavailable or it is closer to the incident at the time of dispatch, including medical emergencies and fire alarms.
How has Measure K been spent? Was this affected by SAFER grant funding?
In FY 2025, $1.5 million of Measure K funding is programmed to support public safety services. It provided for the enhancement of fire staffing towards fire engine 62 and training positions; police staffing of a lieutenant, traffic enforcement officers, and dispatchers; and supported recruitment and retention efforts through competitive labor agreements. The ongoing costs for the items described above exceed the ongoing revenue from Measure K for public safety services in future years; no funds remain to purchase additional resources.
SAFER grant funding that was previously awarded to the City to maintain Fire Department staffing had no impact on the Measure K revenue allocation for public safety services.
What’s the latest status update on wildland fire detection and response?
In a joint effort with Woodside Fire Protection District and Stanford University, Palo Alto purchased N5 Shield that are strategically placed in the wildland urban interface. The N5 Sensors are specifically designed to detect wildfires at the earliest stage possible by combining leading-edge chemical, thermal and particulate sensors that are deployed throughout the Wildland Urban Interface. Go to https://www.paloalto.gov/WildfireSensors for more.
How do we purchase fire engines?
The City’s fleet is managed by a vehicle replacement policy that ensures apparatus are replaced on an approved cycle time. Reserve apparatus are maintained to support continuity of operations and are typically vehicles that have been replaced with newer models or purchased used, if available, to ensure cost effective fleet readiness.
How far back were we cross-staffing at Station 4?
Cross-staffing the engine at Station 4 with an ambulance began in 2016. Cross-staffing at Station 4 added a third ambulance to the system. Before the cross-staffing model that began in 2016, there were two 24-hour ambulances and a cross-staffed ambulance from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The 2016 cross-staffing model at Station 4 included two additional fire stations that cross-staffed an ambulance during the day, and an additional cross-staffed ambulance from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
How many firefighters can the current Station 4 house; was there ever room for five?
There was never room for five personnel at Station 4. Station 4 can accommodate personnel to staff an engine or an ambulance, not both.
The existing station can accommodate 3 personnel and 2 fire apparatus. The Fire Station 4 replacement project is underway, and the approved design includes additional space, allowing it to grow with service level demands and population increases in this part of the City, accommodating for 5 personnel and 3 fire apparatus. The design supports the long-term plan to staff an engine and an ambulance at Fire Station 4 as soon as reasonably possible. The temporary Fire Station 4 at Cubberley also has the flexibility to support the interim cross-staffing approach adding 1 firefighter and the fire engine.
The City Council has invested in increasing fire service and personnel since the pandemic staffing reductions, is the same true with ensuring increases in salaries and benefits for Palo Alto fire fighters?
On average, salaries for Fire positions have increased by approximately 40% from FY 2019 through FY 2025 based on negotiated agreements between the City and the IAFF bargaining unit, reflecting cost of living adjustment and supporting recruitment and retention efforts through competitive labor agreements.
How does Palo Alto compare to other Santa Clara County cities in firefighters per capita?
Based on data from the 2023 Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) Report, the City of Palo Alto has per capita staffing for fire and emergency medical services higher than other local jurisdictions in Santa Clara County. Including coverage for the population of the University of Stanford, PAFD has per capita staffing of 2.83 compared to the next highest jurisdiction, the City of Santa Clara, at 2.82. Palo Alto is the only agency that has our own ambulance service which includes fire fighter/paramedics dedicated to emergency medical transport.
Are other grants that Palo Alto Fire are actively going to apply for to assist with increasing staffing levels?
When the 2025 SAFER grant application is available, the City plans on applying. Demonstrating that firefighter positions would put an engine back in service may qualify us to receive the grant. If awarded, we would use these funds towards staffing Engine 64.