Jacksonville Fire Fighters respond to a House Fire on Hwy 238

The Jacksonville Fire Department responds to a wide variety of fire-type incidents as well as medical calls. On the fire side, this includes structure fires, vehicle fires, wild land fires, dumpster fires, and other types of fire that occur in the city. The Jacksonville Fire Department is responsible for sending an appropriate level of response to the type of fire that is reported. In the case of a reported structure fire, a standard response consists of 2 engine companies and a chief officer. This response level consists of 5 personnel who are capable of extinguishing a small fire in a residential-type structure. When a fire is larger or more involved, additional resources are requested from other fire agencies—referred to as “mutual aid.”

The Jacksonville Fire Department participates with a variety of other regional fire agencies in mutual aid agreements. These agreements are fairly common throughout the United States. All fire service providers recognize that it is very easy for a fire to become large enough that the local resources and personnel are unable to control the incident. For this reason, fire agencies enter mutual aid agreements to help each other when situations dictate the need. In the case of the Jacksonville Fire Department, personnel and equipment respond throughout the State of Oregon as part of the Master Mutual Aid Agreement. This agreement provides for cost reimbursement for a providing agency after a certain period of time. Likewise, a fire department needing assistance can ask for help without having to worry about jeopardizing the safety of the community.

The Jacksonville Fire Department also participates in an automatic response agreement with the neighboring fire departments, all of which send the closest fire engine to a reported structure fire without regard to a city boundary. This policy is found in all fire agency response procedures, providing a tremendous asset to all the local cities. By not having to budget taxpayer funds for additional personnel and equipment, all municipalities gain coverage around the clock.

As our community continues to grow, the Jacksonville Fire Department is capable of extinguishing all types of fires. Over its 100-year history, the department has grown from a volunteer-based department to a fully professional organization with 24/7 service coverage, responding to more than 439 annual calls. A majority of calls involve medical aid calls. The number of fires meeting the reportable fire criteria is approximately 80 per year and includes fires of all types and sizes. In 2011, the City of Jacksonville’s dollar loss from property fires was approximately $397,000—more than $494,000 in property damage from fire was prevented. As equipment, personnel and other service requirements change over the years, the Jacksonville Fire Department will continue honoring its commitment by providing fire protection services for the community!

2012 Fire Department Classes:

March 15        Community CPR
April 19        First Aid
May 17        How To Prepare For Wildfires
June 21        How To Evacuate Quickly
July – September     No Class­­—Fire Season
October 18        Smoke Detectors: Everything You Should Know
November 15        How To Be “Fire Safe” In Your Home
December 13        How To Survive Cold Weather

Classes are 6:30 to 8:30pm at the Fire Station at 180 N. 3rd Street. Call 541-899-7246 for more information.