Fullerton Fire Department

The Fullerton Fire Department protects the city of Fullerton in northern Orange County, California — about 143,000 residents across roughly 22 square miles — from six fire stations. A team of about 100 personnel handles fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue, disaster response, and hazardous-conditions calls, and the department also runs public education, disaster preparedness, and community outreach programs.

The frontline fleet centers on five engine companies plus a 107-foot tiller aerial truck at Station 6, backed by reserve engines, a battalion command unit, and a state OES Type 3 wildland engine housed at Station 3. Fullerton has staffed firefighter/paramedics since 1974 — among the first departments in Orange County to do so — and operates city-owned BLS ambulances staffed by EMT Ambulance Operators. In 2021 the American Heart Association recognized the department with its Gold Plus achievement award for meeting research-based standards of care for severe heart attacks.

Fullerton's fire protection dates to 1908, when a downtown blaze fought by bucket brigade spurred residents to organize a volunteer fire company; the department was formally organized that August. Today's command staff comprises the fire chief, deputy chiefs of operations and administration, a division chief of training, three battalion chiefs, an EMS manager, and a fire chaplain, and the department responds to roughly 15,000 emergency incidents a year.

The City of Fullerton posts fire department openings through its citywide recruitment portal on GovernmentJobs. All new hires pass a fingerprint background check verified with the DOJ and FBI plus a post-offer medical exam performed by the city's designated physician, and safety-sensitive classifications also complete a drug screen.

The part-time Ambulance Operator classification is a structured entry point into the department: EMTs staff city-owned BLS ambulances on limited-term assignments of up to 24 months, with applications accepted on a continuous basis and kept on file for three months. Paramedic-level care rides on the engines — the department has staffed firefighter/paramedics since 1974.