Plumas County Fire Chiefs Association
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Fire Departments
    • Beckwourth FPD
    • Bucks Lake FD
    • Chester FD
    • Crescent Mills Fire Protection District
    • Eastern Plumas Rural FPD (& C Road)
    • Graeagle FPD
    • Greenhorn Creek FD
    • Hamilton Branch Fire Protection District
    • Indian Valley FD
    • La Porte FPD
    • Long Valley VFD
    • Meadow Valley FPD
    • Peninsula Fire Protection District
    • Plumas County OES
    • Plumas Eureka FD
    • Portola FD
    • Quincy FPD
    • Sierra Valley FPD
    • U.S. Forest Service, Plumas NF
    • West Almanor FPD (& Prattville)
  • Members Only Section
  • Awards & Recognition
    • Chief Robbie Cassou Instructor of the Year Award >
      • 2012 Tom Forster, Asst. Chief Plumas Eureka FD
      • 2013 John Gay, Captain Quincy FPD
      • 2014 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2015 Frank Carey, Assistant Fire Chief Quincy FPD
      • 2016 Dony Sawchuk, Captain, Quincy FPD
      • 2017 David Schmid Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen Leadership in EMS Perpetual Award >
      • 2015 Peter Beck, Plumas District Hospital, retired
      • 2016 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2017 Matt Brown & Sam Blesse, Care Flight REMSA
    • Chief Ronny J. Coleman, Honorary Member PCFCA
    • Recognition of Retiring Fire Chiefs
    • Special Recognition >
      • Mike Grant Plumas County Sheriff's Office
  • Inside the Fire House
    • An Introduction to Fire Departments
    • Why do Fire Departments provide Emergency Medical Services?
    • How Good is your Fire Department? A review of Rating Systems
    • What is the Plumas County Fire Chiefs Association?
    • Helping Each Other - what is Mutual or Automatic Aid between FD's?
    • The Little Dispatch That Could - Plumas County Sheriff's Office Dispatch
    • What's Required to Drive Fire Engines Legally and Safely
    • On Obtaining Newer Fire Engines
    • Recognizing Great Service!
    • What is a Firefighters Muster?
  • Biographies
  • Emergency Medical Care Committee
  • Firewise Communities
  • Former Fire Departments
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Group Calendar
  • Join Us - We are Recruiting!
  • Major Fires & Incidents
    • 2013 Pizza Factory Fire, Quincy CA
    • 2015 Ponderosa Bowling Alley, Portola CA
    • 2017 Minerva 5 Incident, Quincy
  • Memorials
    • Chief Tom Forster, Plumas Eureka FD
    • Chief Andy Anderson, Quincy FD
    • Richard Bruce "Dick" "Specs" Matheny, USFS
    • Sparky Cassou, Quincy FPD
    • William "Bill" Floyd Hopman Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen, Quincy FPD, PDH, EMCC
  • Partner Law and Related Agencies
    • Plumas County Sheriff's Office
  • Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
    • 2016 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
    • 2017 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
  • Quincy Fire Academy
  • The Quincy FPD Support Team
  • Regional Training
    • Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator 1A CFSTES
    • Emergency Medical Technician - 1
    • FSTEP Auto Extrication
    • Live Fire Training
  • Related Links




​Frequently Asked Questions
​also known as FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are there so many fire departments in Plumas County?

Answer - The evolution of fire protection in Plumas County has followed typical patterns found across America throughout our history. When communities were new or really small, there typically was no fire protection. Then, something happened, like a big fire. Suddenly there was great interest in doing something. Many small communities followed through on starting something, and some did not, for various reasons including cost. Eventually growth and an increased number of fires led to small fire companies being established, almost always volunteer at the start. 

The earliest fire departments began in the days before motorized vehicles, such as Quincy, in the 1870's. At that time tools like hose carts were used. Firemen (as they were called back then) had to pull a very heavy metal cart with heavy hose to the fire, and were therefore quite limited as to what they could do and how far they could go. Hose carts weighed over 1,000 pounds, sometimes as much as a ton or more. Add in the fact that streets were not paved, and you can imagine the challenges during times of rain and mud or snow. So, simply the distance to travel was a limiting factor.

If the community continued to grow, eventually the number of emergencies exceeded the ability of a volunteer system to provide adequate service. Usually this happens when the number of calls exceeded one per day, although circumstances varied. Paid firemen, as they were called back then, were hired to supplement volunteers, resulting in what was and still is called a "combination" FD. If the growth continued, the department often became fully paid at some point, such as in most communities with more than 10,000 population in California. Plumas County has several combination departments, with only one fully career department in Peninsula. Our largest community is Quincy, with a population of about 5,500 people. It is mostly volunteer, with a paid Fire Chief and Mechanic/Maintenance Manager who is also a volunteer.

We also have the United States Forest Service, or USFS, providing wildland fire services in our national forest lands and in the State Responsibility Areas (SRA). We do not have CalFire stations in Plumas County. While CalFire does staff a fire prevention office here, the responsibility for SRA lands was traded to the USFS many years ago, in exchange for other areas of the state where CalFIre covers some Federal Responsibility Areas (FRA's). 

The good news is that everyone works together in what today is a seamless system.

2. Are communities required by law to have a fire department? 

Answer - the simple answer is no for a basic small community, assuming it is unincorporated. If a community incorporates as a Town or City,
many regulations and requirements may come with that, including securing some fire protection. Even without incorporation, any community may decide to have fire protection, and then many laws, regulations and standards that may apply to the provision of that service. 

​3. Why do you have to send a fire engine or two to medical aid calls along with an ambulance?

Answer - We do this for several reasons. First, local fire department personnel are often much closer to the incident than the few ambulances we have in Plumas County. Time is usually critical in medical emergencies, so the first responder firefighters are part of the system to assure speedy care. The first line of defense is the bystander, family member, or friend,  who starts the process by calling 911 for help, and possibly providing CPR or first aid if trained. Next come the firefighters, who may be Emergency Medical Technicians or Responders, and finally the Ambulances with a Paramedic and EMT. Emergency helicopters may also be brought in if needed, for remote transfer or for critical issues that local hospitals are not equipped to deal with, such as severe trauma, strokes, or heart attacks.

The second reason is that fire departments are equipped and trained for rescue,
including extricating people from car wrecks, performing rope rescues such as when a car goes over the side of a hill, or in a variety of other situations. Plumas County Search and Rescue may also be called if needed. Ambulance personnel typically do not have the equipment, training, or personal protective equipment to do that function, unless they are part of a fire department. The response is a team effort, and everyone has a role.
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  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Fire Departments
    • Beckwourth FPD
    • Bucks Lake FD
    • Chester FD
    • Crescent Mills Fire Protection District
    • Eastern Plumas Rural FPD (& C Road)
    • Graeagle FPD
    • Greenhorn Creek FD
    • Hamilton Branch Fire Protection District
    • Indian Valley FD
    • La Porte FPD
    • Long Valley VFD
    • Meadow Valley FPD
    • Peninsula Fire Protection District
    • Plumas County OES
    • Plumas Eureka FD
    • Portola FD
    • Quincy FPD
    • Sierra Valley FPD
    • U.S. Forest Service, Plumas NF
    • West Almanor FPD (& Prattville)
  • Members Only Section
  • Awards & Recognition
    • Chief Robbie Cassou Instructor of the Year Award >
      • 2012 Tom Forster, Asst. Chief Plumas Eureka FD
      • 2013 John Gay, Captain Quincy FPD
      • 2014 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2015 Frank Carey, Assistant Fire Chief Quincy FPD
      • 2016 Dony Sawchuk, Captain, Quincy FPD
      • 2017 David Schmid Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen Leadership in EMS Perpetual Award >
      • 2015 Peter Beck, Plumas District Hospital, retired
      • 2016 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2017 Matt Brown & Sam Blesse, Care Flight REMSA
    • Chief Ronny J. Coleman, Honorary Member PCFCA
    • Recognition of Retiring Fire Chiefs
    • Special Recognition >
      • Mike Grant Plumas County Sheriff's Office
  • Inside the Fire House
    • An Introduction to Fire Departments
    • Why do Fire Departments provide Emergency Medical Services?
    • How Good is your Fire Department? A review of Rating Systems
    • What is the Plumas County Fire Chiefs Association?
    • Helping Each Other - what is Mutual or Automatic Aid between FD's?
    • The Little Dispatch That Could - Plumas County Sheriff's Office Dispatch
    • What's Required to Drive Fire Engines Legally and Safely
    • On Obtaining Newer Fire Engines
    • Recognizing Great Service!
    • What is a Firefighters Muster?
  • Biographies
  • Emergency Medical Care Committee
  • Firewise Communities
  • Former Fire Departments
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Group Calendar
  • Join Us - We are Recruiting!
  • Major Fires & Incidents
    • 2013 Pizza Factory Fire, Quincy CA
    • 2015 Ponderosa Bowling Alley, Portola CA
    • 2017 Minerva 5 Incident, Quincy
  • Memorials
    • Chief Tom Forster, Plumas Eureka FD
    • Chief Andy Anderson, Quincy FD
    • Richard Bruce "Dick" "Specs" Matheny, USFS
    • Sparky Cassou, Quincy FPD
    • William "Bill" Floyd Hopman Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen, Quincy FPD, PDH, EMCC
  • Partner Law and Related Agencies
    • Plumas County Sheriff's Office
  • Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
    • 2016 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
    • 2017 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
  • Quincy Fire Academy
  • The Quincy FPD Support Team
  • Regional Training
    • Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator 1A CFSTES
    • Emergency Medical Technician - 1
    • FSTEP Auto Extrication
    • Live Fire Training
  • Related Links