Safety and Services
Oversight Commission
Damon Covington, Fire Chief
Oakland Fire Departmen t
Safety Services Oversight Commission
In addition to its core goals and objectives, the annual Measure Z funding allocation of $2 Million to Oakland Fire ($2,000,000) plays a critical role in supporting overall department efforts to maintain adequate personnel resources to respond to fire and medical emergencies, including, but not limited to violent crimes such as shootings, stabbings, and other injuries.
Safety Services Oversight Commission
Measure Z funds ensure that the Oakland Fire Department has the necessary personnel resources to:
• Maintain the minimum daily required staffing requirements; • Meet and improve upon mandated fire emergency 911
response times;
• Respond quickly and effectively to violent crime and
traumatic incidents where high level emergency medical
services (EMS) treatment is needed.
• Prompt and skilled response by Fire & EMS personnel will make the difference in whether a person who is violently assaulted or involved in a shooting becomes a homicide
victim or not.
Safety Services Oversight Commission
Measure Z supports key elements of the Fire Department mission to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Oakland by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, 9-1-1 services and community-based fire services.
Safety Services Oversight Commission
• OFD operates an Emergency Fire Dispatch Center and twenty-five (25) fire stations located throughout the city, twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week.
• OFD is responsible for fire and medical dispatch, fire prevention, fire suppression, mitigation, emergency medical response (EMS), specialized rescue operations, fire investigation, MACRO, emergency management, and fire code inspection within the city.
• OFD personnel are the front line first responders for all manners of medical and hazardous incidents.
Safety Services Oversight Commission
The Fire Communications Center (FDC) serves as the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in need of fire or medical services in the City of Oakland. Annually, approximately 70,000 calls are processed each year by highly trained, Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certified staff. In addition to biennial recertification which includes CPR training, OFD Communications has been an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch for 15 years.
Safety & Services Oversight Commission
The OFD Medical Services Division (MSD) provides personnel and MACRO with continuing education and training which meets the state- mandated minimum requirements for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and Paramedics (EMT-P).
Fire personnel serve as first responders to emergency calls that may require basic and advanced emergency care when dispatched through the 911 system.
Safety & Services Oversight Commission
OFD Medical Services Division:
• Provides written guidelines and procedures related to the operation of first responder fire personnel, EMT and Paramedics.
• Provides continuing education, course requirements, and skills testing to maintain licenses and certificates for Paramedic and EMT credentials.
• Ensures adequate medical equipment and supplies are available, and establishes procedures for patient care.
Safety & Services Oversight Commission
In 2021, The Fire Department launched the MACRO Program, a community response program for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls to meet the needs of the community with a compassionate care first response model to reduce responses by police, resulting in fewer arrests and negative interactions, and increased access to community- based services and resources for impacted individuals and families.
MACRO logged over 15,000 contacts with Oakland residents. Prior to the launch of MACRO, it is likely that many of those incidents would have prompted a response from Police and/or Fire.
Safety & Services Oversight Commission
The goals of Measure Z -- which include reducing delays in the 911 responses -- align directly with the core goals of MACRO, which are focused on creating a civilian response alternative for nonviolent and non-emergent calls for service to reduce the need for sworn police and fire personnel to these non-emergency call types.
Key MACRO Objectives for Early 2024:
• Dedicated phone number for the public to reach responders • Increased community awareness thru the hiring of a
• Full-time PIO and community engagement person.
Safety & Services Oversight Commission
Community Outreach:
• OFD works to reach, educate, and train the public on fire and life safety hazards.
• OFD members can be found at local community meetings, health fairs and special events throughout the year giving OFD an opportunity to interact with tens of thousands of residents a year. • In 2022, OFD hosted or participated in over 160 community public education events, including school visits, station tours, fire safety training, career fairs, mentoring, National Night Out, and smoke alarm distribution events.