San Mateo County fire departments work a four-alarm fire in San Bruno, California, May 2004.

How the Grant Has Helped:

The San Mateo County Fire Service consists of 20 fire departments protecting a population of approximately 707,000 within 531 square miles. San Mateo County uses a "borderless" response system for dispatch and an incident command system (ICS) to manage all their incidents.

For example, 10 fire departments that are part of the San Mateo Fire Service responded to a four-alarm fire (pictured below) that occurred in the City of San Bruno, California, in 2004. All 10 of these fire departments have benefited from AFG Program-funded training equipment, specifically a 2002 AFG grant for a live fire burn trailer and other live fire simulators (see Brisbane Fire Department, below). Since 2001, six of the fire departments that responded to this fire have received AFG Program grants for their individual department needs.

A joint 2002 AFG Program grant enabled San Mateo County fire departments to obtain this live burn trailer for training.

San Bruno Fire Department recently placed into service new portable radios obtained through a 2003 AFG Program grant to improve communications and interoperability. Cooperative training and improved communications made a difference in controlling the four-alarm fire in San Bruno, which was largely confined to the business from which it started.

The Brisbane Fire Department hosted a JPA in 2002, applying for a grant from the AFG Program that resulted in the award of a live fire burn trailer (flash simulator) and other live burn props. Through the JPA, 17 fire jurisdictions in San Mateo County shared in the matching costs and ongoing expenses of the live fire burn trailer, car fire simulator, and a flammable liquid and gas fire simulator. These simulators give firefighters the chance to train with live fire in realistic but completely controlled environments, which can be stopped immediately.

All 10 of these fire departments have benefited from AFG Program-funded training equipment, specifically a 2002 AFG grant for a live fire burn trailer and other live fire simulators. . . Deputy Chief Richard Johnson of the North County Fire Authority estimates that more than 300 personnel have trained on the three live fire props.

In 2003, the Brisbane Fire Department joined with the Daly City and Pacifica Fire Departments to establish the North County Fire Authority . The Authority shares fire services to better protect the residents in northern San Mateo County using the Joint Powers Authority format.

Deputy Chief Richard Johnson of the North County Fire Authority estimates that more than 300 personnel have trained on the three live fire props. "All our personnel have had extensive exposure to live fire simulators," says Johnson, including personnel from the North County Fire Authority and from the Burlingame, Millbrae, Foster City, San Mateo, and Hillsborough communities in central San Mateo County. The live burn trailer is used for training at the recruit academy in Modesto and for annual in-service training. "The simulators help firefighters to focus their training and enables them to get more realistic feedback on technique and coordination of personnel," says Johnson. "Both new recruits and experienced firefighters use the training simulators to hone their firefighting skills in a live fire setting."

The North County Fire Authority serves approximately 165,000 residents in a 24-square-mile area. Thus far in 2004, they have responded to 207 fire calls, 2,586 medical/rescue calls, 169 traffic accidents, 131 hazardous conditions, 584 service calls, and 432 miscellaneous assistance calls.

Firefighters train inside the live burn trailer.

The live burn car prop being made to good use by San Mateo County firefighters.

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