La Honda Fire Brigade

Thanks to the generosity of the community and our Coastside Gives supporters in 2023, we were able to purchase the chassis for an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV). As we experienced with CZU in 2020, keeping a small fire small is the best way we can prevent a large damaging fire from getting established and destroying our community.  These small fires often start in very remote areas which are extremely difficult to access, even with our new Type 6 Fire Engine.  And, it is often difficult to get to the location of an injured hiker, bicyclist, or horseback rider with a fire engine.  Time getting these victims to a hospital can make the difference between life and death. The funds we receive in our 2024 Coastside Gives campaign will help us complete the build of our Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), which can get us directly to the source of the fire or to a victim. The ERV will greatly reduce the time it takes to hike into the backcountry to get to that small fire before it becomes big and to provide us with the ability to transport a patient from a remote area to an awaiting helicopter. 

The La Honda Fire Brigade is an all-volunteer fire department, serving the community since 1953. Our volunteers have received the same training as a professional firefighter and most have received Emergency Medical Training. They face the same dangers as a professional firefighter. Yet, these men and women all have jobs in addition to their volunteer duties.

The La Honda Fire Brigade serves not only the community of La Honda and surrounding areas, but the entire South Coast and assists our neighbors to the north when necessary. The Brigade responds to many types of emergencies, not just fires: medical emergencies, car accidents, trees down, rescues and downed electrical lines. In 2023, our firefighters responded to approximately 400 call outs. Most of these were due to traffic accidents, medical emergencies or beach related rescues.

In addition, the La Honda Fire Brigade sponsors South Coast CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and SC4ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services).  Since the CZU Fire in 2020, our CERT and ARES teams have been activated 12 times.  An activation means that these volunteers staff the Operation Center at the Fire Brigade and if necessary, the Temporary Evacuation Point in Pescadero, 24 hours a day until the incident is over.  All but 5 of these activations have lasted multiple days; CZU activation was for 10 days.  The La Honda Fire Brigade is the only source of funding for South Coast CERT.

The Brigade also provides many emergency preparedness programs in the community, like the chipper programs and educational activities.

The impact of the La Honda Fire Brigade on the community is critical. Our volunteer firefighters were first on the scene at one of the first CZU fires in our area. They hiked miles, with water on their backs, and held that fire line through the night of August 16 2020. They remained for the next 10 days, keeping that fire from crossing the line into our communities.

In addition, the impact of the La Honda Fire Brigade includes the following:

•Reduces fire/EMS response in La Honda by 10 - 15 minutes.
•Contributes six pieces of fire equipment to a response, including a Type I Engine (Structural), a Type III Engine (Wildland), a Type I Water Tender, a Rescue that is transport capable, a Utility truck, and our new Type 6 Wildland Engine.
•It is a matter of life and death!! When a person suffers from cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately getting CPR from someone nearby. Almost 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, can double, or triple a person's chance of survival according to the American Heart Association. Most of our firefighters are emergency medical technicians and all of them are trained in CPR and defibrillation. Responding to medical emergencies is important and makes up approximately 80% of the responses of the La Honda Fire Brigade.
•A local station is critical to keeping a small fire contained. Small fires very quickly develop into huge fires. Reduced response time is critical in containing small fires.

Please help us get to victims in remote areas and put out those small fires before they become big fires!  As we learned with the CZU Fire, our volunteer firefighters can make the difference in whether that fire reaches your community or NOT.

Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) and Type 6 Wildland Engine

Testimonials

"I owe the La Honda Fire Brigade more than I can express. They saved my home, my property and my animals from almost certain destruction if the CZU Fire was able to cross over Old Haul Rd." (Resident in Portola Heights)

"Thank you for saving Loma Mar." Michelle Brooks

"You are all true heroes" O'Conner Family

Words cannot express how thankful I am" Vicki Rupe