Santa Monica Fire Department

Santa Monica Fire Department has served its coastal community since 1889, growing into a full-service department covering fire suppression, emergency medical response, fire prevention, urban search and rescue, hazardous materials response, and aircraft rescue firefighting for the adjacent airport. About 80% of the department's call volume is medical in nature, and every firefighter is cross-trained as an EMT, with more than half also licensed paramedics.

The department is organized into Administration, Fire Prevention, Suppression & Rescue, and Training divisions. Fire Prevention alone conducts more than 6,700 inspections a year in addition to fire investigation, special-event approval, and public education work, while the Training Division runs the department's own fire academy and ongoing hazmat and EMS instruction for personnel.

Operationally, Santa Monica Fire fields specialized units for hazardous materials incidents and urban search and rescue alongside its dedicated ARFF (aircraft rescue and firefighting) response, reflecting the mixed coastal, urban, and airport environment the department covers from its five stations.

SMFD hires firefighters through a multi-stage process culminating in a four-month fire academy, with EMT certification required at entry and a California Paramedic license strongly preferred.