Fire Department · Combination
Sutter County Fire Department
Yuba City, CA · Sutter County
The Sutter County Fire Department is the Fire Services division of the Sutter County Office of Emergency Services, headquartered in Yuba City, California. It is a combination department: career captains and fire engineers staff the stations, backed by volunteer firefighters. The county lists three fire stations, staffed 24/7 — Live Oak (Station 5), Sutter (Station 6) and Oswald (Station 8).
The department was formed in 1996, when the Live Oak, Sutter and Oswald-Tudor fire departments consolidated into a single county fire service covering roughly 250 square miles of Sutter County. It operates as an all-risk agency — fire suppression and prevention, emergency medical care, hazardous materials mitigation and rescue — with automatic and mutual aid agreements in place with the other fire agencies in the county, including the Yuba City Fire Department, the Meridian Fire Protection District and the Sutter Basin Fire Protection District.
Career personnel are certified as hazardous materials specialists through the California Specialized Training Institute, and crews also train in advanced technical rescue disciplines including rescue systems, trench rescue and confined-space rescue. Beyond response, the department promotes fire safety through public education and code enforcement, and Sutter County has established a Fire Safe Council of public and private organizations working to reduce fire hazards countywide.
MissionTo prevent the loss of life, environment and property in Sutter County through the prevention and mitigation of fires, medical, hazardous materials, disasters, and other emergencies, by emphasizing training and equipping fire department personnel for effective intervention while promoting public safety through education and code enforcement.
Hiring runs through Sutter County Human Resources on GovernmentJobs.com (NEOGOV). Career fire recruitments — such as Fire Engineer, which works a 48/96 shift — require an application with legible copies of all required certifications and licenses, followed by a written exam, a practical pump test and oral interviews. Offers of employment are contingent on an investigation of employment history and references, drug testing, a medical review and fingerprinting.
The department also recruits volunteer firefighters on a continuous basis through the same county portal.
Requirements
- Fire Engineer: training and experience equivalent to 12 months as a full-time firefighter, or three years of progressively responsible experience as a volunteer firefighter
- Firefighter I certification
- Valid Emergency Medical Technician I certificate
- Valid California driver's license with firefighter endorsement
- Driver/Operator 1A and 1B certifications
- Current CPAT completed within the past 12 months
- Hazardous Materials Technician certification before completing probation
- Volunteer firefighter: valid Class C California driver's license
Hiring process
- Apply through Sutter County's GovernmentJobs.com portal with legible copies of all required certifications and licenses
- Written examination
- Practical pump test
- Oral interview(s)
- Background investigation, drug testing, medical review and fingerprinting
Benefits
Full-time employees are eligible for Sutter County benefits; extra-help employees working more than 30 hours per week may be eligible for some benefits.
Do I need experience to become a volunteer firefighter with Sutter County Fire Department?
No. Experience is desirable but not necessary — the minimum qualification is a valid Class C California driver's license. Volunteer applicants complete an application, a department ride-along and oral interviews, and are contacted as openings become available.
How long does a Sutter County Fire Engineer eligible list last?
The eligible list established from a Fire Engineer recruitment may be used to fill future openings in the class — including part-time and extra-help positions — for up to six months.
How are applicants notified during Sutter County fire recruitments?
All correspondence, notices and invitations to test or interview are sent by email through GovernmentJobs.com/NEOGOV, so applicants should watch their inbox (and junk mail) for county recruitment messages.