Fire Department · Combination
Sonoma Valley Fire District
Sonoma, CA · Sonoma County
Following the July 1, 2025 merger with Kenwood Fire Protection District, SVFD operates eight stations (five career-staffed, three volunteer-staffed) covering about 115 square miles and serving roughly 49,000 residents; ambulance service extends over a lar
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Department careers page ↗Sonoma Valley Fire District traces its current form to a 2011 contract for fire services between the City of Sonoma and the Valley of the Moon Fire Protection District. On July 1, 2020, SVFD was formally created by consolidating the Valley of the Moon and Glen Ellen fire districts along with the Mayacamas Volunteer Fire Company service area, and the district grew again on July 1, 2025 when it merged with Kenwood Fire Protection District.
Today SVFD is a combination department running eight fire stations - five staffed by career personnel and three by volunteers - across roughly 115 square miles serving about 49,000 residents in Sonoma, Boyes Hot Springs, El Verano, Glen Ellen, Kenwood, and several other unincorporated communities, with ALS ambulance coverage extending over an even larger service footprint. The apparatus fleet includes paramedic engine companies, ALS ambulances, a ladder truck, rescue units, water tenders, and wildland-urban-interface engines, reflecting a district that has to handle both a historic downtown plaza and hillside WUI terrain.
The district is governed by a seven-member, at-large elected Board of Directors under California Fire Protection District law. Every engine company is staffed with a licensed paramedic, and the department runs community programs including the Explorer Post #911 youth program, free defensible-space and smoke-alarm inspections, and station tours. Career firefighters are represented by IAFF Local 3593, and the department is supported by the Sonoma Volunteer Firefighters' Association (SVFRA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
SVFD recruits Entry Level and Lateral Firefighter/Paramedics on an open continuous basis, with applications reviewed as received, plus periodic openings for paid part-time/volunteer positions.
Requirements
- At least 18 years old at close of filing with a high school diploma or equivalent
- Valid California or National Certified EMT-P/Paramedic license by time of appointment (or currently enrolled in an accredited paramedic program for a provisional FF/EMT appointment)
- Sonoma County (Coastal Valleys EMS) paramedic accreditation within three months of hire
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) card by time of appointment
- Valid CPAT card within 2 years (entry level only; not required for lateral candidates)
- Firefighter I Certificate (CA State Fire Marshal) or completion of a State Fire Marshal-approved Firefighter I Academy
- Valid Class C driver's license
- Eligible to work in the United States; non-tobacco user
- Lateral candidates: currently employed as a paid, full-time firefighter with at least one year of experience and a Paramedic card
Hiring process
- Submit employment application (mail or email; faxed applications not accepted)
- Applications reviewed and evaluated as received
- Oral interview
- Paramedic skills assessment
- Personal history assessment
- Medical, physical, and psychological assessment
- Background investigation
Benefits
2.7%@57 or 3%@50 retirement through Sonoma County Employees' Retirement Association (depending on prior retirement status); disability insurance; vacation accrual of 8 shifts/year (192 hours); sick leave accrual of 7.59 shifts/year (182 hours); paid medical, dental, and vision (cash-in-lieu option for laterals); life insurance; Employee Assistance Program; uniforms provided; holiday pay (168 hours). Lateral hires also get a longevity incentive after 5 years (2.5%), start at Step C, and receive 100 hours of sick leave upon appointment.
Entry-level candidates without a Firefighter I Certificate may complete a California State Fire Marshal-approved Firefighter I Academy. Candidates still enrolled in a paramedic program can receive a provisional FF/EMT appointment with up to 2 years to obtain their Paramedic license.
Do all fire engines have paramedics?
Yes. Every Sonoma Valley Fire District engine is staffed with licensed paramedics.
Does the Fire District operate ambulances?
Yes. SVFD provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How many firefighters staff a fire engine?
Typically three to four, including at least one licensed paramedic, though staffing varies by incident type.
What is "defensible space"?
The buffer zone created between a home and surrounding vegetation that slows the spread of wildfire; it is required by state law in fire-prone areas.