Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District

Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District has served the central Oregon Coast community since 1949, growing from an all-volunteer outfit into a combination department that blends career firefighters with dedicated volunteers held to the same operational standards. The district's roughly 125-square-mile response area runs from the Highway 101 milepost 101 north to the Sandlake Road intersection, and from the Pacific Ocean east to the Tillamook County line, covering coastal neighborhoods, rural and agricultural land, wildland-interface terrain, and a seasonal tourism corridor.

Operations are organized around a main career station, Station 87 in Hebo, staffed on 48/96 shifts, along with several volunteer-staffed stations (82, 83, 84, and 86) spread across the district. Leadership includes a fire chief, a deputy chief, and division chiefs overseeing training and maintenance, supported by shift captains and firefighters at Station 87 and volunteer officers at the outlying stations.

The district frames its volunteers as foundational rather than supplemental, running a structured pathway that includes a Cadet Program for 16- and 17-year-olds working toward NFPA Firefighter 1 certification, and a resident program offering housing for career-track volunteers. All members are trained in emergency medical care and other core firefighting disciplines, and the district also provides burn permits and fire-safety education to the communities it serves.

NRFPD is a combination department recruiting both career firefighters and volunteers on an ongoing basis. No prior experience is required for volunteers; the district trains members to recognized standards, and offers a Cadet Program for teens and a resident program with housing for career-track candidates.