Fire Prevention and Protection Services and Emergency Medical Response
Up-to-date fire prevention and protection services and emergency medical response benefit the community in many ways. Property values can remain high when quality services are available. More critically, however, is that loss of life and property can be minimized when an event occurs. In a small city like Burlingame, partnerships are key to the provision of quick response and coordinated prevention planning. The Central County Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical response services to Burlingame, and through its mutual aid agreements with other fire departments, can dedicate appropriate resources to safeguard the community. Fire prevention and emergency response planning are priorities; minimizing fire risks occurs through education, routine inspections, and requiring building renovations and new construction to comply with current fire access and building codes.
This goal and the accompanying policies address staffing levels, emergency response times, training, facilities and equipment, and coordination with ambulance service providers and local hospitals.
Goal: CS-2
Ensure coordinated and effective fire and emergency medical services to maintain the health, safety, and well-being of the Burlingame community.
Continue to participate with the Town of Hillsborough in the Joint Powers Agreement for the Central County Fire Department to ensure Burlingame is optimally served through fire suppression, emergency medical services, incident response, fire prevention, public education, and emergency management and preparedness.
Maintain code enforcement programs that require private and public property owners to minimize fire risks by:
- Maintaining buildings and properties to prevent blighted conditions
- Removing excessive or overgrown vegetation (e.g., trees, shrubs, weeds) in accordance with wildland-urban interface clearance requirements
- Removing litter, rubbish and illegally dumped items from properties
Ensure that the demands of new development for fire protection and emergency medical response services do not strain the ability of the Central County Fire Department to provide the staffing and equipment needed to meet response time goals and other stated service metrics. In particular, assess the need to provide strategically located and equipped fire stations within the Bayfront and Rollins Road districts.