Program Overview

The Fire Suppression (FS) program’s purpose is to coordinate, manage, and supervise all of the emergency operations and daily work activities for suppression personnel. The program manages the daily staffing of a minimum of 33 personnel with occasional increases due to significant incidents or events.

Management Oversight

The FS program is directed by the Division Chief of Operations with oversight authority delegated to the on-shift battalion chiefs. This program has 112.9 full-time equivalent personnel and associated payroll expenses for all front-line sworn personnel and miscellaneous supplies and accessory purchases.

Goals and Objectives

• Ensure that the minimum staffing requirements for suppression coverage are consistently met, while proactively planning for staffing augmentations needed to cover scheduled leaves, unexpected absences, and significant events such as emergencies or large-scale incidents.
• Regularly assess current staffing levels to anticipate upcoming personnel changes, including promotions and retirements. Plan and adjust staffing to maintain operational readiness and ensure sufficient coverage for daily operations and training needs.
• Ensure that staffing levels are adequate to support daily training schedules and operational demands, including the necessary backfill for personnel participating in training or other specialized assignments.
• Develop a budget that accounts for the costs associated with maintaining adequate staffing levels, including backfilling for personnel on leave, training, or specialized assignments, ensuring financial resources are available for any staffing-related needs.
• Build flexibility into staffing plans to quickly adapt to unexpected absences, surge events, or other operational needs, ensuring the department remains fully staffed and capable of responding to emergencies without compromising service delivery.

FY 2023-24 Accomplishments

• Consistently met staffing requirements throughout the year, ensuring that all operational and response needs were adequately addressed.
• Strategically placed additional personnel on the streets during peak demand days, ensuring optimal coverage and readiness for emergencies.
• Successfully met the staffing demands for one of the largest fires in San Mateo County's history by calling back an additional 12 personnel. This included staffing three extra engines and two Battalion Chiefs to ensure an effective and coordinated response.
• Demonstrated the ability to scale staffing rapidly in response to large-scale emergencies, ensuring that all units were fully staffed and operational to manage significant incidents without delay.
• Through careful planning and coordination, effectively managed staffing resources to respond to high-priority incidents, maintaining operational effectiveness and ensuring the safety of both personnel and the public.

FY 2024-25 Program Initiatives

• Leverage advanced technology by integrating software platforms across the department, ensuring that systems such as dispatch, resource management, and incident tracking work seamlessly together to improve operational efficiency and decision-making.
• Focus on producing high-quality, actionable data that can be used to inform strategic decisions. This will include improving data collection methods, analytics, and reporting to guide resource allocation, training, and long-term planning.
• Implement a comprehensive integration of staffing management with the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, enabling real-time tracking of personnel availability, assignments, and deployments to streamline staffing and improve response times.
• Provide opportunities for Battalion Chiefs to attend leadership conferences and development programs, focusing on the "soft skills" of management such as communication, team-building, conflict resolution, and decision-making to enhance leadership effectiveness within the department.
• Encourage ongoing professional development for all leadership roles, ensuring that Battalion Chiefs and other leaders remain equipped with the skills necessary to lead diverse teams, manage high-stress situations, and effectively implement department initiatives.