New Forestry Technician 4s 

This summer we hired three new Forestry Technician 4s (FT4s). Please join us in welcoming Benjamin Fowler, Patrick Carufel and Andrew Britts to the Fuels Crew. FT4s are the field supervisors of the crew, running the day-to-day operations. They will be working alongside current FT4s Hunter Schend and Sean Guyot, who have been working for us as FT4s for two years. 

The FT4 works a ten hour day, often in steep terrain and hot weather conditions. These are the faces working hard to make our roadways and wildland areas a safer place. To learn more about the Fuels Crew, visit Fuels Crew on our website.

"Back in Service"

Engine 6172 returned from the Garnet Fire in Sierra National Forest on September 16, after 14 days away from home. One of the first things firefighters do when they return from a strike team is to place the engine "back in service". During strike teams, fire engines frequently drive on steep, rocky roads through smoke and dust. The crew spends a lot of time in the engine, often eating and sleeping in the cab. To get the engine back in service, it must be cleaned, repaired and restocked. This may include sharpening hand tools, washing fire hose, refueling small equipment (such as chainsaws), and scrubbing fire retardant off the paint.

Search & Rescue Training

Our firefighters train regularly, even during the peak of fire season. At a recent training, Firefighters Robertson, Olson and Mohar practiced search and rescue techniques in our training tower. One firefighter hid the dummy (victim) somewhere in the tower, and the others had to find it. The tower was filled with smoke to enable them to train in vision-obscured conditions, relying on their training in search and rescue techniques. Once the dummy was located, it was safely removed from the tower, where it could receive the proper medical care.

Measure H Sales Tax Funded Projects

Measure H, the “Improved and Enhanced Local Fire Protection, Paramedic Services and Disaster Response” Transaction and Use Tax was passed by Sonoma County's voters in March 2024. Measure H authorizes a countywide one-half-cent special transaction and use tax (sales tax) to supplement existing funding for wildfire prevention and preparedness, paramedic services, and emergency and disaster response.

Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District is excited to introduce a new webpage called  Meaure H Sales Tax Funded Projects that lists the vegetation management projects funded by Measure H. For more information about the Measure H sales tax, visit the Sonoma County Fire Chiefs Association Sonoma County Tax Measure H website.