Welcome to the Palo Alto Fire Department

Mission Statement

We are a professional team of men and women dedicated to safeguarding and enriching the lives of anyone, anytime, anywhere with compassion and pride.

Core Values

The men and women of the Palo Alto Fire Department commit to the following values in serving our communities and each other;

• Integrity - We serve our community and support each other with respect and honesty.  We approach our commitment with dignity and courage.  We are accountable through our everyday actions and communication.
• Innovation - We creatively integrate tradition with technology acknowledging the wealth of resources available in our community and department to improve health, safety and welfare.
• Professionalism - We are dedicated to providing quality service in the delivery of a cost effective and superior service.  Our attitude, appearance, knowledge, skills and abilities are reflective of our commitment to excellence.
• Diversity - The members of our department exemplify diversity on multiple levels.  Our skills, backgrounds and experiences allow us to effectively respond to the vast range of emergencies and outreach opportunities.
• Compassion - We exist to serve our communities and support each other with empathy, sincerity and respect.
• Education - We strive to continually improve ourselves and our skills to increase our own safety and better protect the communities we serve.  We strive to stay abreast of the latest developments in emergency response.  We provide educational opportunities through community outreach to help increase knowledge of preparedness and personal, family and home safety.

Insurance Rating

The current Insurance Service Organization rating for the City of Palo Alto is ISO Class 2.  The last certification process was completed in the spring of 2012.  The Insurance Services Office (ISO) reviews the fire protection resources within communities and provides a Community Fire Protection rating system from which insurance rates are often based.  The rating system evaluates three primary areas;

1. The Emergency Communication and Dispatch System
2. The Fire Department
3. The Community's pressurized hydrant or tanker-based water supply

The overall rating is then expressed as a number between 1 and 10, with 1 being the highest level of protection and 10 being unprotected or nearly so. As of the latest survey (September, 2012) ISO gave PAFD a rating of Class 2.

Safe Surrender

California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law was introduced in 2001 and made into law in 2006. The law has saved the lives of many newborn infants who might otherwise have been abandoned in unsafe locations. Under the law, parents and other persons with lawful custody may safely surrender infants within 72 hours of birth, with no charges filed and no questions asked. All Palo Alto Fire Stations serve as a safe surrender location.

Please send us an email
fire@cityofpaloalto.org 
or telephone 650-329-2184