When possible you should use a land-line, or "wired" phone as it is a faster way of getting emergency medical help than using the cell phone. Since the cell phone is most often used for people who are in vehicles, cell phone 911 calls go directly to the California Highway Patrol dispatch center in Vallejo, which just adds an extra step before there is contact with the dispatch center for an ambulance or the fire department. If using a cell phone, it is quicker to call 707-565-2121 (Sonoma County) or 707-463-4086 (Mendocino County) so that the call goes immediately to the local county's dispatch center.
>It is not always evident from the initial dispatch information what exactly is going on or how many firefighters may be needed. Even on apparently simple medical calls, it sometimes requires a number of people to move a patient (e.g. down a narrow stairway, or up to the bluff from a beach). Or, what initially appears to be a "small fire" could quickly turn into something larger. All available volunteers always respond to a call, and the initial responders cancel incoming resources once it is known that additional help is not needed. Better to have too many hands than too few in a real emergency!
NSCFPD has 17 active members and 5 support members. The NSCFPD officers are: Chief Bonnie Plakos, Assistant Chief Chuck Breier, and Captains Chris Aitchison, Paul Plakos and Phil Martin. A minimum of two permanent CAL FIRE staff are on duty at all times.
The South Station on Annapolis Road is staffed 24x7 by CAL FIRE personnel. A minimum of 2 CAL FIRE staff are on duty, but sometimes 3 or 4 firefighters and/or engineers may be available depending on availability and season. On-duty CAL FIRE staff live at the South Station, and usually work 72-hour shifts. Besides the CAL FIRE staff specifically assigned to Sea Ranch Fire, seasonal state CAL FIRE personnel and one additional wildland fire engine are in residence at the South Station during fire season. The seasonal staff has responsibility beyond the TSR area and may respond to a wider area, or be moved for days or weeks at a time to fight fires or staff other stations anywhere in California. When the usual seasonal engine and crew are moved elsewhere, a different engine and crew will be temporarily assigned to the Sea Ranch South Station. When the seasonal crew is present, they will respond to local emergencies along with the permanent Sea Ranch Fire staff.
The VFD trains every other Wednesday at regularly-scheduled sessions, with occasional additional training sessions or classes depending on the season. The VFD also participates in training sessions with nearby agencies such as the Annapolis, Timber Cove, Fort Ross, South Coast, or Redwood Coast fire departments, or the Coast Life Support District.
Numbers of calls: 318 in 2019; 290 in 2020; 329 in 2021; 351 in 2022. Types of calls in 2022: 7.4% Fire, 59% Medical Aid, 6.8% Vehicle Accident, 1.7% Rescue, 8.3% Other, 5.4% Alarm Sounding, 3.4% Smoke Check, 8% Hazardous Conditions. Call locations in 2022: 68% Sea Ranch, 10% Timber Cove or Fort Ross, 20% Annapolis/Kashia area, 2% other.
Information about department funding can be found at Funding for fire and emergency services
The fire department and The Sea Ranch Association (TSRA) are completely separate. TSRA has no authority over the department.
Read about the fire stations at NSCFPD Stations
Read about our apparatus at NSCFPD Apparatus