Volunteers offer invaluable support to the Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Service’s mission by augmenting existing resources and services provided by the department’s three divisions.
The Fire Operations and Training Division has in service approximately 300 fire service volunteers in the 15 all-volunteer fire companies throughout the unincorporated County Service Area (CSA #40). Volunteers represent a wide array of highly skilled and capable people are available night and day to respond to a fire or medical emergency in their local communities. They may also be deployed to outside regions in the event of a larger-scale disaster, such as the 2007 Southern California firestorms. These volunteers are trained and equipped with basic fire fighting equipment by the department, and are covered by the county worker’s compensation insurance.
The Hazardous Materials Response Team, formed in 1994, is made up of members of the community and department staff. They meet for monthly drills and four Saturday drills a year. This team is trained to respond to any level of hazardous materials incident in the County, and uses specially equipped response vehicle and trailer.
The Emergency Management Division has 140 Auxiliary
Communications Service (ACS) volunteers that supplement
the County’s emergency communications capabilities in the
event of a disaster. These volunteers are registered Disaster Service
Workers who provide a variety of professional skills including administrative,
technical and operational for emergency communications between local
and state agencies. These ACS licensed operators conduct a weekly
countywide radio check-in and participate in disaster preparedness
exercises. For more specific information about this group Visit the Auxiliary Communications Service Web Site
The Department also benefits from both paid and unpaid student interns on a variety of special projects, which in the past has included grant research and writing, GIS mapping, web page development and training projects.
To sign up for a volunteer position use the 
Volunteer Program Application or contact Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services at (707) 565-1152.
