This location of Wednesday morning’s residential structure fire is within the First Alarm response area covered by one of the closed firehouses, Station 28. This is obviously concerning for the Oakland Fire Dept and the surrounding community as well.
“There is not a station in #Oakland that we can do without,” said Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington. “Our goal now is to mitigate the impact these closures will have on Oaklanders, while making sure our crews at the remaining open firehouses are not overextended by the increase in calls. We don’t want these brown-outs to lead to burn out. I want residents to know tthey can continue to rely on #OaklandFire to respond when they call.”
As Fire Chief, my paramount responsibility is to safeguard the health, safety, and wellness of the dedicated members of our department, and to ensure we have the tools, resources, personnel and training to respond whenever the residents and businesses of Oakland call on us.
The City Council’s budget decision to remove two Engine companies from operation, effectively closing two firehouses for an indefinite period of time, will have a direct impact on the fire and emergency medical service (EMS) response capability we proudly provide, and Oaklanders rely on.
It is now the responsibility of my Command staff and I to make the necessary staffing and deployment decisions to shield the citizens of Oakland from the greatest level of impact, while also making sure our crews at the remaining stations are not being overextended due to an increased call volume. Our mission stays the same but the model by which we meet that standard will need to be adjusted and continuously evaluated.
As a 25 year veteran of this department, I know how incredibly resilient we are. But the challenge ahead is not one that I take lightly.
The Oakland Fire Department is currently conducting a thorough quantitative and qualitative assessment to identify the best approach to meet these service reduction requirements, and to ensure no constituency is disproportionately and inequitably impacted.
Damon Covington, Fire Chief, City of Oakland (12.18.24)
As Fire Chief, my paramount responsibility is to safeguard the health, safety, and wellness of the dedicated members of our department, and to ensure we have the tools, resources, personnel and training to respond whenever the residents and businesses of Oakland call on us.
The City Council’s budget decision to remove two Engine companies from operation, effectively closing two firehouses for an indefinite period of time, will have a direct impact on the fire and emergency medical service response capability we proudly provide, and Oaklanders rely on.
It is now the responsibility of my Command staff and I to make the necessary staffing and deployment decisions to shield the citizens of Oakland from the greatest level of impact, while also making sure our crews at the remaining stations are not being overextended due to an increased call volume. Our mission stays the same but the model by which we meet that standard will need to be adjusted and continuously evaluated.
As a 25 year veteran of this department, I know how incredibly resilient we are. But the challenge ahead is not one that I take lightly.
The Oakland Fire Department is currently conducting a thorough quantitative and qualitative assessment to identify the best approach to meet these service reduction requirements, and to ensure no constituency is disproportionately and inequitably impacted. — Fire Chief Damon Covington, December 18, 2024
We could not be luckier to have him by our side on our best days and during our most challenging times. We love and appreciate you, Father Jayson (@frjayland)!! The best chaplain in the fire service. We hope it’s a great birthday and weekend for you, cheers! #oaklandfire #oaklandfiredepartment #chaplain #oakland #fireservice