2023
Palo Alto Fire Department
Annual Report
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CHIEF’S MESSAGE
After several years of unprecedented challenges, 2023 allowed the Palo Alto Fire Department to make tremendous progress in achieving many of our strategic plan goals and focus on recruitment, hiring, training, and operations. Our dedicated workforce continues to demonstrate a commitment to our mission and values.
The 2023 Annual Report focuses on our performance, special projects, and staff recognition for their service. Some of the highlights in the 2023 report are the following:
• There were 9,368 calls for service in 2023, a 9% increase from 2022 and a similar increase from 2021 to 2022.
• Three firefighters attended paramedic school as part of a two- year pilot program. All three students became certified paramedics in 2023. They attended paramedic school while continuing to work part- time, and two of them accomplished this goal while they were on probation.
• In 2022, we faced some of the worst staffing shortages in our department's history. In 2023, our team emphasized recruitment and hiring to help us get back to pre-pandemic levels. Eight new Palo Alto Firefighters were hired in 2023, but we still have a lot of work to do. We will enhance our recruitment and marketing efforts to continue our pursuit of a diverse pool of firefighter candidates.
• ROSC is the resumption of sustained perfusing cardiac activity associated with significant respiratory effort after cardiac arrest. The Palo Alto Fire Department's ROSC rate is 45%, much higher than the California State average of 25%.
• Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) completed a fire service review highlighting some of our achievements and identifying many operational challenges. • One of the men's restrooms at Fire Station 6 was converted into a women's locker room to help achieve gender equity goals.
I am excited about our progress in 2024 and the opportunities before us. There are still several challenges to overcome, but we will continue to work towards completing the goals in our strategic plan (2019-2024) with an enhanced focus on recruitment, community risk reduction, and firefighter safety, operations, and wellness. I would like to thank the PAFD team, their families, our partners, and Palo Alto leadership for their dedication and support.
We always strive to meet our performance standards in emergency response and prevention. We also aim to prioritize safety, diversity, equity, and firefighter wellness to foster a healthy department and serve this community with compassion and pride.
Take Care,
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MISSION
We are a professional team of individuals dedicated to safeguarding and enriching the lives of anyone, anytime, anywhere with compassion and pride.
VALUES
The men and women of the Palo Alto Fire Department commit to the following values in serving our communities and each other:
Integrity
We serve our community and support each other with respect and honesty. We approach our commitment with Dignity and Courage. We are accountable through our every-day actions and communication.
Innovation
We creatively integrate tradition with technology acknowledging the wealth of resources available in our community and department to improve health, safety and welfare.
Professionalism
We are dedicated to providing quality service in the delivery of a cost effective and superior service. Our attitude, appearance, knowledge, skills and abilities are reflective of our commitment to excellence.
Diversity
The members of our department exemplify diversity on multiple levels. Our skills, backgrounds and experiences allow us to effectively respond to the vast range of emergencies and outreach opportunities.
Compassion
We exist to serve our communities and support each other with empathy, sincerity and respect.
Education
We strive to continually improve ourselves and our skills to increase our own safety and better protect the communities we serve. We strive to stay abreast of the latest developments in emergency response.
We provide educational opportunities through community outreach to help increase knowledge of preparedness and personal, family and home safety.
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SERVICE AREA
The Palo Alto Fire Department serves an area of approximately 38.7 square miles including 12.8 square miles of Stanford University Campus. Stanford University contracts with the PAFD to provide fire and EMS response to campus and the surrounding area.
There are seven fire stations placed throughout the City and Stanford. All are staffed 24/7, with the exception of Fire Station 8 in the Palo Alto Nature Preserve which is staffed seasonally by PAFD and Santa Clara County Fire personnel.
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FIRE STATIONS
Fire Station 1 (Downtown)
301 Alma Ave, Palo Alto, CA
Built in 1965
Fire Station 2 (Mayfield)
2675 Hanover St, Palo Alto, CA
Built in 1965
Fire Station 3 (Rinconada Park)
799 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto, CA
Built in 2021
Fire Station 4 (Mitchell Park)
3600 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA
Built in 1953
Fire Station 5 (Barron Park)
600 Arastradero, Palo Alto, CA
Built in 1967
Fire Station 6 (Stanford University)
711 Serra Ave, Stanford, CA
Built in 1972
Fire Station 8 (Foothills Nature Preserve)
11799 Page Mill Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA
Built in 1986
Only Staffed during Summer
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CALLS FOR SERVICE
In Calendar Year 2023, the Palo Alto Fire Department responded to a total of 9,368 calls for service and 18,026 unit movements, or how many units responded to the 9,368 calls. Most calls for service require more than one unit to respond.
Year Calls for Service Unit Movements
2021 7,625 14,873
2022 8,578 16,958
2023 9,272 18,026
Rescue and Emergency Medical Incidents make up 62% of all calls for service. These calls include heart attacks, strokes, injuries and other emergency medical situations, including motor vehicle accidents, and any auto extrication or technical rescues.
Good Intent Calls (15%): Good Intent calls capture incidents where there may have been an emergency, but it turned out to be non-emergent or nothing at all. For example, someone could smell smoke and call 9-1-1, but after firefighters arrive and investigate, they may find that the odor was from burnt popcorn down the
hall.
False Alarms and False Calls (13%): These are primarily alarms that are automatically triggered during
construction or other non-emergency causes such as
steam from a shower, dust, insects, or smoke from
cooking. This category also covers situations where
someone negligently triggered a fire alarm or made an
intentionally false report.
Rescue and
EMS
Incidents
62%Good Intent
Calls
15%
False Alarm
and False Calls
13%
Service Calls
8%
Fire
1%
HazMat and
Others
1%
2023 Calls for Service
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Service Calls (8%): These calls are for situations where the department is providing a service, but it’s not an
emergency. This can include clean up calls for smoke
removal, water evacuations or other hazards; assisting
with falls in the home; people trapped in an elevator or elevator overrides.
Fires (1.4%): This covers any fire where smoke and flames are present, such as small dumpster fires, residential fires, commercial fires or wildfires. There were 133 fires in 2023, and although it makes up a small percentage of the overall
incidents, they are the most time consuming and resource intensive. Large fires typically require all the resources in the City, including automatic aid from neighboring fire
departments.
Hazardous Materials and Others (1%): Most of these are
utilities related, such as a natural gas leak, wiring problem, powerlines down, but it also includes gasoline, diesel, or oil spills, chemical releases or other biological hazards.
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RESPONSE TIMES
The time it takes from the 9-1-1 call to the time a fire crew arrives on scene is the primary measurement of performance for Emergency Response Service. The standard is to arrive within 8 minutes 90% of the time, and for EMS calls, to have a paramedic ambulance arrive within 12 minutes.
Three unique time segments are included when evaluating an agency's response performance. The first is the time it takes for the dispatcher to answer the 911 call and notify the agency (call processing); the second is the time it takes for the agency to receive the call and go en-route to the call (turnout time); and third is the time it takes for the unit to drive to the incident (travel time). All three segments combined make up the total response time. For this evaluation, the unit type was not discriminated against, and the first arriving unit was used to determine the total response time.
EMS 2022 2023
Percent of a first responder arriving on scene
to EMS calls within 8 minutes or less 90% of
the time
81% 81%
Percent of an ambulance arriving on scene to
EMS calls within 12 minutes or less 90% of
the time
89% 88%
Fire
Percent of first a responder arriving on scene
to Fire calls within 8 minutes or less 90% of
the time
73% 70%
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MAP OF CALL LOCATIONS
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MUTUAL AID
The Palo Alto Fire Department provides resources to neighboring jurisdictions in the case of an emergency or fire station coverage when their own resources are depleted. The assistance is reciprocated from partnering fire departments which is outlined in the Santa Clara County Mutual Aid Plan or automatic-aid agreements.
Mutual Aid Provided
Agency 2022 2023
Santa Clara County Fire 106 97
Mountain View Fire 48 26
Menlo Park 3 9
All Others 5 1
All Fire Mutual and Auto Aid Provided 162 133
Mutual Aid Received
Agency 2022 2023
Mountain View Fire 71 45
Menlo Park Fire 29 43
Santa Clara County Fire 21 14
Sunnyvale Fire 0 2
Santa Clara City Fire 0 1
Woodside Fire 2 1
All Fire Mutual and Auto Aid Provided 123 106
Santa Clara County Ambulance 185 220
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EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS
AMBULANCE TRANSPORTS AND PATIENTS
Palo Alto is the only Fire Department in the County that operates an ambulance transport service. In 2023 there were a total of 3,949 transports to the hospital from calls originating in Palo Alto or Stanford. When all of the PAFD ambulance units are busy, Santa Clara County will offer mutual aid and send one of their ambulances. In 2023, Santa Clara County transported on 81 incidents from Palo Alto or Stanford.
Palo Alto Patients Transported
Agency 2022 2023
Palo Alto Fire 3,744 3,868
Santa Clara County 86 81
The majority of patients provided emergency medical services are above the age of 60, making up 56% of all patients.
CARDIAC ARRESTS
There were a total of 68 full cardiac arrest incidents in 2023. PAFD fire crews are trained multiple times yearly on High Performance Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation Techniques (HPCPR). This County standard requires a team of 5 people, with specific roles for all personnel on scene. Each Firefighter performs HPCPR for no more than two minutes before another team member takes over for the compression quality to remain consistent.
High Performance CPR was performed on 68 cardiac arrest patients. 30 of the patients achieved a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). ROSC is the resumption of sustained perfusing cardiac activity associated with significant respiratory effort after cardiac arrest. The Palo Alto Fire Department’s ROSC rate is 45%, much higher than the California State average of 25%.
Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC)
10 and Under
3%
11 to 18
4%
19 to 30
12%
30 to 40
8%
41 to 50
8%
51 to 60
9%61 to 70
12%
71 to 80
15%
81 and Older
29%
CY23: EMS Patients by Age
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HPCPR Performed 68
Number of Patients with ROSC 30
PAFD ROSC Rate 45%
CA State Average 25%
PALO ALTO FIREMED PROGRAM
The Department launched a new savings program for ambulance transport services, called Palo Alto FireMed. Even with medical insurance, an emergency ambulance ride can cost between $250-700. The Palo Alto FireMed Program for residents and businesses makes sure participants are not stuck with a bill during an emergency. Palo Alto FireMed is convenient and cost-effective, covering unlimited ambulance rides per household for a low cost of $8 per
month, which is only $96 a year. The Department had 214 new enrolled residents in 2023, many of whom have
saved on copays. Residents interested in enrolling should check out the Palo Alto FireMed Program Website by scanning the QR Code or going to cityofpaloalto.org/firemed.
PARAMEDIC TRAINING PROGRAM
In 2022 the Department supported three firefighters to complete certification and training to become Paramedics. All three firefighters successfully graduated the certification program in 2023 and are serving as paramedics for the Department.
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FIRE PREVENTION
The Fire Prevention team ensures that all life and safety codes are being accurately implemented with new construction, remodeling projects, and commercial development. The team also conducts annual building and hazardous materials safety inspections.
California state requires annual inspections on certain public buildings with high capacities, such as schools, hospitals, research facilities, places of worship, entertainment centers, etc. These are tracked and reported to the State annually. In 2023, due to staffing shortages, only 26% of required buildings were inspected. In 2024, Fire Prevention is adding two additional Fire Inspectors that will be solely dedicated to completing State mandated inspections.
The total number of facilities in Palo Alto that store hazardous materials grows annually. The fire code requires that these facilities adhere to strict safety measures and requires an annual inspection. Hazmat facilities are tracked and inspected annually. In 2023 due to staffing shortages, only 12% of facilities were inspected.
Hazardous Materials Inspections
2022 2023
Number of HazMat Facilities 950 1093
HazMat Inspections Completed 194 132
Percentage Complete 20% 12%
The Fire Prevention Division conducts inspections in the Wildland/Urban Interface and construction projects. Prevention personnel issues permits and approves development plans throughout the year.
The development and construction volume continues increase in numbers. Inspectors are also responsible for investigating the cause of fires, and in 2023, there were 56 Fire Investigations.
Other Inspections and Investigations
2022 2023
Wildland/Urban Interface 141 110
Construction Inspections 7,376 6,643
Fire Permits 402 744
Plan Review 2,610 3,346
Fire Investigations* - 56
*Data for 2022 is not reliable, new data collection systems are being set up to ensure data and reporting quality.
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS
New software systems were purchased in 2023 and are in the works to go live in 2024. The State mandated inspection program will have its own digital fire inspection record keeping and billing system that provides detail tracking and preserves important inspection findings and corrections.
State Mandated Building Inspections
2022 2023
Number of Buildings 532 532
Inspections Completed 344 137
Percentage Complete 65% 26%
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FIRE STATION 4
Fire Station 4, at 3600 Middlefield Road, was built in 1953 and no longer meets the current needs of the Fire
Department. City Council included the replacement of
Fire Station No. 4 in the Infrastructure Plan approved in June 2014.
This project will provide a new facility built to current essential services standards with a high likelihood of being fully operational during and after a major disaster such as a significant earthquake.
On November 8, 2023 the Palo Alto Architectural Review Board approved the final design plan and the architect is currently making progress with obtaining a building permit.
The new fire station building will include the
following:
• Captain’s Office and public restrooms
• Emergency Operations Center
(EOC)/Training room
• Two drive-through apparatus bays and a
stand-by apparatus bay
• Firefighter living quarters
The new Fire Station 4 will be designed for LEED
Silver certification and meet City adopted building
code standards by having an all-electric design for new construction.
TRAINING
Training is a critical component of ensuring firefighters are ready and equipped with the best firefighting and rescue techniques to minimize the impact of any emergency; every firefighter averaged 285 hours of training in 2023.
Twenty-Six training courses were provided this year with topics such as Fire Engine and Truck Driving, Fire Investigation, Rope Rescue Awareness and Operations, Confined Space and Trench Rescue, and training to rescue lost or trapped firefighters. Eleven Special Operations drills were hosted, as well as County-wide wildfire drills.
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THE PEOPLE OF THE PALO ALTO FIRE DEPARTMENT
The 111 people that make up the Department serve the community with a great deal of pride and an attitude of excellence. The Department has 83 operations staff that are the firefighters, apparatus operators and fire captains that work in the stations and provide the direct services to the community.
In the Fire Prevention Bureau, there are 9 fire inspectors and managers to ensure buildings and facilities are up to code and adhere to all new laws that prevent instances of fires and reduce the impact of fires if they occur. The remaining 19 employees make up Fire Administration and include executive managers and support staff.
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NEW RECRUITS
It can take more than a year from the time a job
announcement is posted before an entry level
firefighter begins work on a fire engine or
ambulance. Candidates complete a rigorous
selection process including a physical fitness exam,
mental health screening, and background check.
Once a candidate is hired, they complete an
intensive 21-week fire academy.
In February, the Department held one of the largest
Joint Fire Academies with a total of 13 new
firefighters hired. Eight remain with the PAFD
today.
Since the 2019 Civil Grand Jury of Santa Clara County Report, “Why Aren’t There More Female Firefighters in Santa Clara County” the Department has made additional efforts to recruit and retain female firefighters. In 2019, women made up only five percent (5%) of firefighters working at PAFD. As of this report, the Department has 9 Female Sworn Employees, making up a total of 10% of all sworn employees. Three of the 11 new hires in 2023 were women, however only one successfully completed the probationary period.
Mitchel Barnett
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA
Hobbies: Rock climbing, water
sports, camping, outdoor
recreation.
Keith Hatfield
Hometown: Redwood City, CA
Hobbies: Metal fabrication,
mountain biking, boating, spending
time with friends and family
Kevin Moon
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Hobbies: Golf, football, time with
family and friends
Samuel Muzzi
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Hobbies: restoring old cars, time
with family
Lauren Racioppi
Hometown: San Carlos, CA
Hobbies: Hiking, snowboarding,
wake boarding, outdoor sports
Jake Smirnov
Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
Hobbies: hiking, golf, marathon
running, time with family and
friends
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NEW RECRUITS CONTINUED
Nicholas Souza
Hometown: Danville, CA
Hobbies: fishing, hiking, health
and wellness fitness, golfing,
cooking
Scott Woodfin Jr.
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Hobbies: Sports, hiking, time with
family and dog Daisy
OTHER NEW STAFF
The Department welcomed additional new staff amongst Fire Administration.
Madison Crowe
Administrative Associate II
James Duran
EMS Director
Robin Ellner
Administrative Associate III
Denise King Raub
Hourly Training Specialist
Nia Serbin
Administrative Assistant
PROMOTIONS
William Dale
Training Battalion Chief
Mike Espeland
HazMat Inspector
Tamara Jasso
Fire Marshal
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PROMOTIONS CONTINUED
Stephen Lindsey
Deputy Fire Chief
Jon Matsumoto
HazMat Inspector
Marc Muzzi
Battalion Chief
RETIREMENTS
Brian Baggot
Training Battalion Chief
23 Years of Service
Barry Marchisio
Fire Captain
40 Years of Service
Mike Northup
Apparatus Operator
23 Years of Service
Kimberly Roderick
EMS Chief
17 Years of Service
Eric Shill
Fire Inspector
21 Years of Service
Kevin Wilcox
Apparatus Operator
28 Years of Service
Mark VonAppen
Fire Captain
25 Years of Service