History
The UCSC Fire Department was established in 1975 to provide a level of protection to the campus which was greater than the local community could provide. Additionally, a large portion of the campus is located outside the boundaries of any local jurisdiction. This makes providing comprehensive fire protection difficult.
Initially, Fire Department staffing was a combination of full-time staff and student volunteers. Over the years, the student volunteer program was disbanded and staffing is now provided by all University employees.
After originally being located at the base of campus at the Stone House, the current fire station was built on Chinquapin Road in the late 1970s. This location allows for a rapid response to all areas of the campus.
Today
The UCSC Fire Department staffs a single engine company with a minimum staffing of four personnel as well as an administrative staff of four. Engine staffing is provided by three rotating shifts of four to five personnel with each shift working 48 hours on duty at a time to ensure continuous 24 hour a day coverage for the campus. Each shift is staffed by a Fire Captain, 1-2 Fire Engineers and 1-2 Firefighters. At least one Paramedic is on duty on each shift to ensure Advanced Life Support (ALS) response capabilities, and at least one member of each shift is also certified as a Hazardous Materials Technician for responses to chemical spills and other hazmat emergencies both on campus and through the Santa Cruz Hazardous Materials Interagency Team (SCHMIT).
Adminstrative staffing consists of the Fire Chief, the Fire Marshal (Assistant Fire Chief), the Emergency Manager (Fire Captain) and the Business Continuity Planner (civilian). These personnel work a normal Monday to Friday work week, but are available on-call at other times to respond to major campus incidents and emergency situations.
The Fire Department maintains two fire engines: Engine 2710, a Type 1 structural response engine, and Engine 2730, a Type 3 wildland response engine. Engine 2710 is normally staffed with Engine 2730 cross-staffed by the same crew and used as needed for responses in the undeveloped upper campus area or for wildland fire responses throughout the county and state.