About The UC Santa Cruz Fire DepartmentThe mission of the UCSC Fire Department is to protect life and property within the University of California Santa Cruz and the surrounding community from the destruction of fire and related perils through the direct action and coordination of fire service resources, including prevention of and preparedness for such events.UC Santa Cruz is one of two campuses in the UC system which provides an on-campus fire department staffed by University employees. A number of factors led to the development of this valuable campus resource. The fire department was established in the mid 1970's following several fires to provide a level of protection to the campus which was greater than the local community could provide. Additionally, a large portion of the campus is located outside the boundaries of any local jurisdiction. This makes providing comprehensive fire protection difficult. Today the UCSC Fire Department is responsible for providing direct services to the over 800 structures, as well as a daytime population of over 18,500 and a residential population of almost 7,000. In addition to it's on campus responsibilities the Department is responsible for fire protection engineering and fire prevention for off campus facilities including Lick Observatory, Long Marine Lab, MBEST Center, Silicon Valley Center, and Big Creek Preserve. The UCSC Fire Department's core services include emergency response, fire protection engineering for new construction, fire prevention, public education, and disaster preparedness. Through agreements with surrounding agencies the Department provides response to off campus locations where the Universities resources are the closest available. In return, those agencies provide assistance to the University when needed. Additionally, the Department provides mutual aid response to both Santa Cruz County and Statewide. The Department also provides personnel to the Santa Cruz County Hazardous materials Response Team. The department responds to approximately 600 emergency incidents per year. The Department operates out of one fire station housing two fire engines designed for response to both structure and wildland fires. The Department has a staff of 18 and maintains a minimum on duty staffing of 4 firefighters who are on duty for 24 hours a day. The Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief and Unit Coordinator are on duty Monday thru Friday from 8 - 5. |
   |