January 4, 2021 - California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, most often used in response to wildfires, floods and other natural emergencies, is now assisting in the state’s response to Covid-19.

Firefighter Paramedics and EMT’s are being deployed for a 14-day operational period to assist emergency rooms and other vital medical areas in some of the most impacted hospitals in California. These highly trained  firefighters have been requested through the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, coordinated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

Since the program began on December 30, 2020, 16 Firefighter Paramedics and 6 Firefighter EMT’s have been deployed to California hospitals.  They include:

• Region 1 – UC Irvine Medical Center
  • 8 paramedics pending

• Region 2 – Petaluma Valley Hospital
  • 3 paramedics from Solano County
  • 6 EMT’s from Sonoma County

• Region 5 – Kern Adventist Health
  • 6 paramedics from Santa Clara County
  • 2 paramedics from Contra Costa County
  • 2 paramedics from Fresno County

• Region 6 – Barstow Community Hospital
  • 3 paramedics from Riverside County

Cal OES is continuing to deploy more firefighters across the state in response to the Covid-19 hospital surge, as needed.

For the latest on California’s response to Covid-19, click here.

For more information on California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, click here.
Source: Cal OES