Happy Birthday to OFD

Today is Oxnard Fire Department celebrates our 120th Birthday! We began as a volunteer fire department with a horse drawn hose wagon. Today, we have 8 fire stations, with 8 engines, 2 trucks, and an ALS squad staffed everyday. The city has grown from a population of over 2000 people to a population of over 200,000 people. Check out this video of Oxnard Fire Department through the years. The song featured is “Fire” By Ohio Players – we do not own the rights to this music.

Check out our Facebook page as well!

A new ordinance has been adopted in regards to alarm systems. It was found that almost 98% of alarm responses were false alarms in 2017. This is in regard to both residential and commercial security and fire alarms. Units that respond to false alarms spend time investigating the alarm are unavailable to respond to other emergencies.

The ordinance outlines a business’s duty to maintain alarm systems and penalties in regards to excessive false alarms. Division 9 specifically outlines fire alarm responses. Any questions feel free to contact the police department at  805-385-7672 or email us at alarms@oxnardpd.org.

Here is a copy of the city Ordinance No. 2951.

For more information please go to https://www.oxnardpd.org/alarm-permits/.

The Oxnard Fire Department is excited and proud to put into service a new response apparatus. Light and Air 65 (LA 65) will respond out of Oxnard Fire Station 5 on 1450 Colonia Rd. The unit will be cross staffed by the assigned crew from Engine 65. This marks the second introduction of a new response apparatus in the City of Oxnard.

A Light and Air is an essential resource for any Fire Department; especially in a city the size of Oxnard. LA 65 better equips the Fire Department to handle a major disaster by increasing its ability to be self-sufficient while outside resources respond. The arrival of this unit was made possible by a regional FEMA AFG in the amount of $450,000.

As a support unit Light and Air 65 will respond to incidents that exceed the resource needs of a single engine. The unit can be special requested, but will respond to all hazardous material incidents, working fires, extended rescues, and anytime additional lighting capabilities are needed.

The main function of this unit is to refill used air cylinders. Within the first 40 minutes of an incident a single firefighter can use 2 to 4 air cylinders. With only a limited amount of cylinders available on each engine and truck the Light and Air will refill the air cylinders allowing firefighters to continue to mitigate the incident.

This unit marks a significant change in Oxnard Fire Departments response capabilities. Until this point outside agencies were relied on to respond a Light and Air unit to calls in the city limits through our automatic aid system. The Oxnard Fire Department will now be able to not only cover this response need in Oxnard, but also provide automatic and mutual aid to Camarillo, Ventura, Port Hueneme, and even further. While this unit will serve as a regional resource, the priority will always be to serve the citizens of Oxnard.

November 17^th 2018 another new resource was added to the Oxnard Fire Department Fleet; Squad 68. This was the first Advanced Life Support (ALS) unit in the history of Oxnard Fire. This unit was put in service in a strategic location to ensure that the citizens of Oxnard receive prompt ALS care.

With two new units being put in service less than three months apart, Oxnard Fire is continuing to grow in a fiscally responsible way and meet the needs of the city we serve. Light and Air 65 is expected to be in service on January 31st.

MULTIPLE RAIN EVENTS TO HIT OXNARD

Oxnard, California​– Multiple Rain events are expected to impact Ventura County and Oxnard over the next week. The first event is expected to hit our area late Friday evening into Saturday and may bring moderate to locally heavy rains. Thunderstorms are also possible near shore from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles Counties. Additional storms are expected Monday, Tuesday and Thursday with moderate to heavy rain possible. High surf conditions are also expected to continue through next week.

Is your home and business “Storm Ready”? It is important to taking action now can prevent damage and flooding when the rains arrive. Simply cleaning out gutters and downspouts can make a big difference. Clearing leaves and debris away from yard and storm drains can prevent them from clogging and backing up. Fixing small leaks and problems now can prevent damage and costly emergency repairs later. It is also a good time to have your roof and heating systems checked and serviced if needed. Placing non-skid mats at entry points and in slippery areas can help avoid slips, falls and injuries.

Being Storm Ready means having basic emergency items at home such as flashlights, battery powered radios, spare batteries, prescription medications, working smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, first aid kits, plastic tarping, and duct tape. Also don’t forget about your pets! Do they have access to a warm, dry place with food and water? If they get scared can they get inside and away from the weather?

Are you Storm Ready in your vehicles? Do you have working head and tail lights and effective windshield wipers? Do you and your family members know the streets in your area that tend to flood when it rains? During storms and periods of rain, extra caution should be used around all flooded streets, culverts, streams and rivers. Residents are encouraged to report storm related hazards such as flooded roads, malfunctioning traffic signals, downed trees, limbs and electrical wires. Remember to monitor local media for forecasts and storm related information.

If Oxnard residents need sandbags, they are available at the Oxnard City Corporate Yard. Residents can go to 1060 Pacific Ave., Building # 3, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., (Monday–Thursday.), sign-in, show ID and receive up to 20 bags free of charge. Sand is also available at that location but residents will need to fill and transport their own bags. If residents have questions about sandbags, they should call (805) 385-7950 during business hours. (Please note: these sandbags are for Oxnard Residents ONLY​and are not available to construction companies and contractors.)

Oxnard officials will closely monitoring storm and surf conditions and remain in communication with the Ventura County Office of Emergency Services and the National Weather Service.

Should weather conditions become severe, emergency information would be posted at: http://www.vcemergency.com

Our fire prevention staff is teaming up with Red Cross for a smoke detector installation event on Saturday, January 19th from 8:30 to 4PM. The event meeting location is at Larsen Elementary School (550 Thomas Ave).  If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for this event, they can visit redcross.org/VenturaMLKday.

Beginning in 2019 the Oxnard Fire department will begin the use of a fee schedule on commercial inspections within the city. Fire inspections are critical in proper development and management of buildings. The fees associated with inspections ensure that  we are able to defray some of the cost associated with performing this critical service. Attached is the official letter of notice to business owners, and the fee schedule worksheet for businesses to print and fill out.

Inspection Letter
Fee Schedule Worksheet

Today we honored the efforts of our Fire Chief; Darwin Base, EMS coordinator; Jaime Villa, and the 15 Oxnard Firefighters that have made an ALS program happen. The program launched on November 15th but with the major fires and events that occurred around that date we were forced to postpone our ceremony. It took about a year for the program to go live and was made possible by many individuals; we are greatly appreciative of their help in this process. We do see this program as a way to increase our level of service to the community and is congruent with the mission of the Oxnard Fire Department. We are confident that this program will save lives in the City of Oxnard. Keep an eye out for Squad 68 running calls in the South end of Oxnard. 

OXNARD PARTICIPATES IN NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH WITH THE FOURTH ANNUAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FAIR, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH

OXNARD, Calif. – September is National Preparedness Month, and the Oxnard Office of Emergency Services will be
hosting its fourth annual Disaster Preparedness Fair Saturday, September 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Fire
Administration parking lot, 360 West  2nd Street in Oxnard. Participants will be able to browse multiple informational booths, check out Fire and Police Department emergency response vehicles and equipment, and get advice and preparedness tips from experts in earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, storms, and other emergencies. ADMISSION IS FREE.

This event has been organized and planned by the Oxnard Office of Emergency Services supported by a team of
dedicated volunteers. The planning team has created a diverse offering of fun and educational activities, and
demonstrations for the whole family to enjoy. For example; The American Red Cross will be displaying their Emergency Response Vehicle. Attendees will be able to see the Ventura County Auxiliary Communications Service (VC-ACS) and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in action. The Oxnard Police Department will have a display of police response vehicles and equipment and the Police Explorers will have a Kid Print booth, to aid law enforcement in reuniting children separated from their family following a disaster. Firefighters will provide fire extinguisher training and demonstrations featuring a live fire prop on the site. The Oxnard Public Works Department will provide information about the City’s drinking water and waste water systems and what citizens might expect following a disaster. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be present to provide information and answer questions about weather-related emergencies in Southern California. Attendees will be able to learn “Side Walk” cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from the AMR Ambulance service. The Ventura County Emergency Medical Services Agency will also offer FREE flu shots, (while the supply lasts). Food vendors will also be on site with a number of tasty menu items.

As a special feature, the Oxnard Animal Safety Unit will have an Animal License Booth on-site that will allow Oxnard residents to obtain licenses for their pets right at the Fair! The Ventura County Animal Resources Department will also be on hand to provide information about safeguarding and caring for your pets during emergencies and disasters!

The Office of Emergency Services will be holding a “Disaster Smart Raffle”! To enter the raffle participants will tour the booths, learn some basic disaster preparedness information and answer 3 questions correctly at the prize wheel booth! Participants can earn an immediate prize or become eligible for one of the bigger prizes donated by local business, shops, and organizations. Some of the prizes include:

• • An emergency supplies backpack
  • A multi-power disaster radio
  • A two pack of home smoke detectors
  • Numerous gift cards for local businesses and retailers

Raffle tickets will be drawn following the Fair and winners will be notified through the information provided on the raffle ticket. Winners will have 3 days to respond after notification and are responsible for picking up their prizes.
For more information about the Fair, call 385-3947 or 385-7722 (Spanish).

Spanish Flyer For Event

Help Oxnard Firefighters fight breast cancer at this year’s breast cancer awareness fundraiser. Once again Oxnard Fire Foundation will be teaming up with Ribbons of Life to raise money for breast cancer. Join us at Red Robin in the Collection in Oxnard where 20 percent of all food purchases will be donated to our cause (mention this ad).  Additionally, there will be a silent auction, raffle prizes, and Oxnard Fire pink t-shirts for sale. The event is open to the public so come help fight breast cancer.

October 4th, 2018 from 5-8pm