Fire Department · Combination
Arcata Fire Protection District
McKinleyville, CA · Humboldt County
No active openings right now
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Department careers page ↗Arcata Fire Protection District traces its roots to January 24, 1884, when residents organized Arcata Fire Company No. 1 (soon renamed Arcata Hook and Ladder Company No. 1) after the town suffered several major fires. The district became an official Special District in 1944, moved from an all-volunteer model to paid staffing starting with the Fire Chief in 1953, and expanded with the McKinleyville Fire Station in 1960 and the Mad River Fire Station in 1975-76 as the service area grew.
Today the district is a mostly career organization covering roughly 62 square miles and about 37,000 residents in and around McKinleyville, Arcata, Bayside, Manila, and Jacoby Creek out of three stations, each staffed daily with a Captain and Engineer. Its apparatus fleet includes Type 1 structural engines, four-wheel-drive Type 3 wildland engines, a 3,000-gallon water tender for hydrant-less rural areas, and command utility vehicles. Beyond fire suppression, the district runs a Volunteer Logistics Unit that supports emergency and training events with traffic control, staging, rehab, and administrative help.
MissionWe exist to protect the lives, environment and property of the communities we serve.
Arcata Fire Protection District does not maintain a dedicated career-firefighter recruitment page; its only stated ongoing recruitment is for the Volunteer Logistics Unit (VLU), a non-suppression support role that assists with traffic control, staging areas, air bottle refilling, firefighter rehab, and administrative and prevention work at emergencies and training events.
Hiring process
- Submit a hard-copy application (available on the district website)
- Written application review
- Oral interview
- DMV and background check
- Live Scan fingerprinting
- Medical examination
- Complete required in-house training after appointment
How do I join the Arcata Fire Protection District's Volunteer Logistics Unit?
Submit a hard-copy application (available on the district's website), then complete a written application review, oral interview, DMV and background check, Live Scan fingerprinting, and a medical exam, followed by required in-house training once appointed.
What is the Volunteer Logistics Unit's commitment and role?
VLU members commit to roughly three years of service and support emergencies and training events with traffic control, staging, air bottle refilling, firefighter rehabilitation, and administrative work; they are not assigned to fire suppression or rescue tasks.
How many stations does Arcata Fire Protection District operate?
Three stations - the McKinleyville Station (district headquarters, built 1960), the Mad River Fire Station (built 1975, opened 1976), and the Arcata Station (built 1949) - each staffed daily with a Captain and Engineer.
What is Arcata Fire Protection District's ISO rating?
The district has a split ISO/PPC classification of 3/3y: Class 3 for properties within 5 road miles of a station and 1,000 feet of a creditable water supply, and Class 3y for properties within 5 road miles of a station but beyond 1,000 feet of a water supply.