From Rescues to Directing Traffic, Volunteer Fire Departments Are Critical First Responders in Rural Areas
A recent rollover accident south of the Mendocino County line highlighted the importance of volunteer fire departments.
In rural areas, there are often vast distances between state and federally funded emergency services when frequently response time makes the difference between life or death. Sparsely populated areas often rely on volunteer organizations to respond to a variety of calls from fires to car accidents, missing persons and medical calls.
Reach Helicopter at the scene of a crash earlier this month. [Photo by Adam Bernstein]
PVFD Fire Chief, Patrick Landergen, says the small department responds to approximately 75 calls per year. “Most of our calls are on …traffic [accidents] through the district,” he said.
Recently, Landergen and his crew responded to a solo-vehicle roll-over south of the PVFD station, that required an extensive extrication process to free the pinned driver. The department was first on scene and was able to navigate the rural backroads to access the scene of the crash after the vehicle left the highway, careening off an embankment before coming to a stop on its side.
PVFD has a mutual aid agreement with Leggett Valley Fire Department who assisted with the call as well as Cal Fire Leggett, with Cal Fire Garberville providing ground contact to the Reach helicopter that was requested to transport the patient to a hospital approximately 140 miles away.
In addition to traffic accidents though, the crews can be called to medical incidents and to search and rescues. In March of 2019, PVFD Captain, Delbert Chumley and PVFD member, Abraham Hill, were instrumental in the nationally followed rescue of two local girls who were lost in the hills of Southern Humboldt for two nights.
Landergen, Chumley, and Hill, like all volunteer firefighters, donate their time and energy to keep their communities safe. Volunteer organizations often struggle to maintain equipment and acquire life-saving extraction tools. “Although we are tax-funded, we pretty much survive …by donations and fundraisers,” Landergen explained.
Consider donating to your local volunteer fire department, the life they save, may be yours. Donations to the PVFD can be sent to P.O. Box 206, Piercy, Ca. 95587. Donation information for other local fire departments can be found in the comment section.
Article on the rescue of the missing girls: Hugs and Kisses (Leia and Caroline Carrico Back Home With Mom and Dad)
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Home town heroes!!!
Absolutely!!!!
I thank God for all of our men and women that make up our Volunteer Fire Departments. Every single one of you deserves and huge THANK YOU for gifting your time and service to make our communities safer! People if you have not donated to your local fire department, PLEASE try to give them some money. You can also ask what else they may need like bottled water, food, etc.
Support your local Fire Service. But not measure J. The language used is so inaccurate it is almost a lie. It starts right out of the gate:” to continue maintaining general County services, such as 911emergency response, children’s mental health, rural fire/ambulance…” Bullshit. They picked emotive words out of the general fund, but 911 and Rural fire is hardly dependant on an additional 2%, and charging Campers. They left out that it primarily funds tourism marketing. The measure is Eureka-centrism at it’s best. Humboldt rural residents use our hotels. You all have had to rent a room, for an early medical appointment, your kid taking the SAT at 7:00am, stuck in snow after a ball game, using the airport…but if you live in Eureka you probably never have to. They act as though only tourists pay somehow. What about fire refugees? This tax helps the tourism MARKETING industry, not the tourism industry. We already have expensive rooms. At $180 a night, the 12% tax means more goes to the County, than to the room cleaners!
I just want to say, that Bridgeville VFD ROCKS!!!!
Kym is there a way to make the list of VFDs a link off the site thats available constantly? Would be glad to donate towards that.
So very many thanks to your amazing self, without you we wouldnt hear about our extremely important hometown heroes ❤
She DOES have a list with email & Snail mail addresses hopefully she’ll share it again soon!!!
ALDERPOINT FIRE
POB 164
ALDERPOINT, CA 95511
BELL SPRINGS FIRE DEPARTMENT
PO Box 866
Laytonville, CA 95454
BLUE LAKE FIRE
PO Box 245
Blue Lake, CA 95525
BRICELAND FIRE
POB 1249
REDWAY, 95560.
BRIDGEVILLE FIRE
P.O. Box 4
Bridgeville, CA 95526
CARLOTTA FIRE
PO Box 33
Carlotta, CA 95528
COFFEE CREEK FIRE
HC 2 Box 3951
Trinity Center, CA, 96091
DOWN RIVER VFD
140 Fire House Rd
Big Bar, CA 96010
FERNDALE FIRE
PO Box 485
Ferndale Ca. 95536
FIELDBROOK FIRE
4584 Fieldbrook Rd.
Fieldbrook, CA. 95519
FORTUNA FIRE
320 S. Fortuna Blvd.
Fortuna, CA 95540
FRUITLAND RIDGE FIRE
POB 87
Myers Flat 95554
Douglas City Volunteer Fire Department
PO Box 10
Douglas City, CA 96024
Phone: (530) 623-5110
GARBERVILLE FIRE
PO Box 288
Garberville, CA 95542
GASQUET FIRE Department
PO Box 85
Gasquet, CA 95543
HAWKINS BAR VFD
PO Box 485
Salyer, CA 95563
HAYFORK VFD
195 Hyampom Rd
Hayfork, CA 96041
HONEYDEW FIRE
P.O. Box 74
Honeydew, CA, 95545
HOOPA FIRE and Office of Emergency Services
P.O. Box 369
11121 HWY 96
Hoopa, CA, 95546
HYAMPOM FIRE
22509 Hyampom Rd.
Hyampom, CA 96046
HYDESVILLE FIRE
3494 CA 36
Hydesville, CA 95547
JUNCTION CITY FIRE
PO Box 418
Junction City, CA 96048
KETTENPOM ZENIA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT
Po Box 100
Zenia, CA 95595
LAYTONVILLE FIRE
44950 Willis Ave
Laytonville Ca 95454
LEGGETT FIRE
P.O. Box 191
Leggett ca 95585
Lewiston Fire Department
PO Box 113
Lewiston, CA 96052
Phone: (530) 778-3711
LOLETA FIRE
567 Park St.
Loleta, Ca. 95551
(707) 733-5407
MAPLE CREEK FIRE
15933 Maple Creek Rd.
Korbel, CA 95550
MIRANDA FIRE
POB 160
Miranda, Ca 95553
MYERS FLAT FIRE
PO Box 131
Myers Flat, CA 95554
ORLEANS FIRE
38162 Highway 96
(PO Box 312)
Orleans, CA 95556
Or you can donate via Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/orleansvolunteers
ORICK FIRE
PO Box 96
Orick, CA 95555
PALO VERDE FIRE
P O Box 1381,
Redway, Ca 95560
PETROLIA FIRE
(Donate online)
98 Sherman Street.
P.O. Box 169
Petrolia, CA
95558-0169
PHILLIPSVILLE FIRE
PO Box 39
Phillipsville, CA 95559
PIERCY FIRE
80401 Highway 271/ PO Box 206
Piercy, CA, 95587
POST MOUNTAIN FIRE
PO Box 1026
Hayfork, CA 96041
REDCREST FIRE
PO Box 27
Redcrest, CA 95569
REDWAY FIRE
PO Box 695
REDWAY, CA 95560
RIO DELL FIRE
50 West Center St.
Rio Dell, CA 95562
SALMON CREEK FIRE
PO Box 662
Miranda, CA 95553
Salyer Volunteer Fire Department
PO Box 235
Salyer, CA 95563
Phone: (530) 629-2778
Samoa Fire
1982 Gass St
Samoa, CA 95564
SCOTIA FIRE
PO Box 185
Scotia, CA 95565
SHELTER COVE FIRE
9126 Shelter Cove Road
Whitethorn, CA 95589
SPROWEL CREEK FIRE
PO Box 2122
Redway, CA 95560
SOUTHERN TRINITY VFD, (a bi-county organization serving both eastern Humboldt and Southern Trinity)
P.O. Box 16
Mad River, Ca 95552
SOUTHERN TRINITY AREA RESCUE (STAR), a bi-county EMS/volunteer ambulance service
321 Van Duzen Rd
Bridgeville Ca 95526
TELEGRAPH RIDGE FIRE
PO Box 1152
Redway, CA 95560
Trinity Center Volunteer Fire Department
PO Box 191
Trinity Center, CA 96091
Phone: (530) 266-3420
Weaverville Fire Department
PO Box 447
Weaverville, CA 96093
Phone: (530) 623-6156
WESTHAVEN FIRE Department
PO Box 2143,
Trinidad, CA, CA 95570
WHALE GULCH FIRE
76850B Usal Road
Whitethorn, CA 95589
WHITETHORN FIRE
PO Box 485
Whitethorn, CA 95589
WILLOW CREEK FIRE
P.O. Box 51
Willow Creek, CA 95573
Thanx much ;-D