CAL FIRE
BUTTE COUNTY COOPERATIVE FIRE PROTEC TION
Annual Report
Proudly serving the County of Butte, City of Oroville, Town of Paradise, Cities of Gridley and Biggs
2023
Chief’s Message
It is with great pride and appreciation that I present the Annual Report for 2023. This document encapsulates the collective efforts, achievements, and unwavering dedication of the Butte Unit and Cooperative Fire Departments over the past year.
Our dedicated team of career and volunteer firefighters and support staff have achieved remarkable milestones throughout the year. This includes establishing a Firefighter Hand Crew in East Oroville, completing over 900 acres of prescribed fire in an effort to better protect our communities, erecting our first fire training tower, to establishing a Resource and Vegetation Management office in Chico. Whether it was swiftly responding to emergencies, implementing effective training programs, or collaborating with cooperators, our collective efforts have made a significant impact to the people of Butte County.
Undoubtedly, we faced challenges that tested our resilience and adaptability. From unpredictable winter weather events to new safety concerns, each challenge served as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Despite these obstacles, our team remained steadfast in its mission.
As we embark on the coming year, our focus remains on enhancing our preparedness, fostering community partnerships, and embracing innovation in firefighting and emergency response. We are committed to providing the highest level of service to ensure the safety and security for all that live or visit Butte County.
I extend my sincere gratitude to every member of the CALFIRE Butte Unit and our Cooperative Fire Departments in the County of Butte, Town of Paradise and Cities of Oroville, Gridley and Biggs for their dedication and hard work. Our success is a testament to the commitment of each individual who serves in our department. Additionally, I want to thank our County leaders, Board of Supervisors, City Cousels, Administrators and our community for their continued support and cooperation.
The 2023 Annual Report reflects not only our accomplishments but also our unwavering commitment to the well-being of Butte County. Together, we stand ready to face any challenges that may arise, united in our mission to protect and serve.
Thank you for your trust and support.
Sincerely,
Garrett Sjolund Fire Chief
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3 Mission, Vision & Values 4 Butte County Cooperative Fire Protection 5 Department Organizational Chart 6 Department Equipment & Facilities 7 Personnel Profile 9 Butte County Profile 9 Station Map 10 Butte County Volunteers 11 Fire Prevention Bureau 12 Vegetation Management 16 Magalia & Table Mtn Fire Centers 18 Training, Safety & EMS Bureau 20 Fire Marshal/Fire Protection Planning 21 Emergency Response Statistics 22 Response Statistics Butte County FD 27 Response Statistics Oroville FD 28 Response Statistics Paradise FD 29 Response Statistics Gridley FD 30 Response Statistics Biggs FD 31 Contents TABLE OF
Mission, Vision & Values
Our mission and vision…
Butte County Cooperative Fire Protection will provide public safety and emergency services to protect lives, property, and the environment for residents, workers, and visitors in the unincorporated areas of our respective communities. We are a dynamic, cooperative regional response team of career and volunteer members who treat each other, and the people we serve, with respect and integrity. Each of us is committed to comprehensive training, policies, and procedures that guide us in achieving our goals.
Our core values…
Each of us is committed to:
Effective Communication
Respectful, honest communication with leaders, peers, and everyone with whom we interact.
Cooperation and Collaboration
Build and maintain strong working relationships inside and outside our departments.
Professional Development
Research and train to consistently improve our response capabilities and those of our partners.
Coordination and Readiness
Work with federal, state, local, and private cooperators in fire preparedness; provide leadership to help reduce risk to our communities.
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Butte County Cooperative Fire Protection
Butte County benefits from an integrated, cooperative, regional fire protection system that is both strong and cost-effective. Six entities—CAL FIRE, Butte County, City of Biggs, City of Gridley, City of Oroville and Town or Paradise—operate as one, highly efficient department. After-action reports from many devastating wildland fires recommend just such a model. This regional fire protection system provides service to 1,677 square miles in Butte County as well as 97 square miles of southeastern Tehama County for state wildland fire responses.
Butte County Cooperative, since 1931 operates a total of 24 fire stations staffed by career firefighters and 16 stations operated by volunteers. These stations provide fire protection, emergency medical services, rescue services, and hazardous materials response. In 2023, the Butte County Fire Department responded to 23,952 incidents. CAL FIRE and Butte County Fire Department maintains emergency response agreements with all fire protection agencies within and adjacent to the County.
Department Overview
Butte County Cooperative Fire Protection provides a comprehensive range of rapid response services, as well as in-depth educational and planning services. Our goal is to protect and preserve lives and property through quick, expert action, and dedication to public awareness, lives and property.
Among our services:
Fire suppression
Emergency medical care
Technical, heavy, water rescue
Hazardous materials response
Mutual aid response to neighboring jurisdictions
Fire investigation
Fire prevention
Public education
Fire Marshal/Fire Protection Planning
Resource & vegetation management
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Department Organizational Chart
Unit & Fire Chief
Garrett Sjolund
Deputy Chief Operations
Patrick Purvis
DC Administration
Rick Manson
SSM 1 Administration
Cyndi Wilson
BC Administration Vacant
Equipment Manager
Craig Sanderson
Service Center
Information Technology
DC Resource Management
Dave Derby
Timber Harvest Jim McDaniel
SRA Projects Tim Collins
Fire Prevention & Public Info Officer
Mike Waters
DC North Garrett Needles
Battalion 1
Mark Macini
Stirling City, Paradise, Jarbo Gap
Battalion 2
Jason Finney
Cohasset, Forrest Ranch, Butte Meadows
Battalion 4
Jordan Hale
Chico, Nord, Durham
Battalion 8
Vacant
Town of Paradise
DC South Chip Fowler
Battalion 5
Rob Bartsch
Feather Falls, Berry Creek, Robinson Mill
Battalion 6
Jason Dyer
Oroville, Kelly Ridge, Palermo
Battalion 7
Mike Conaty
Gridley, Biggs, Richvale
DC Oroville City
Chris Tenns
Battalion 9A
Matt Bergstrand
City of Oroville
Battalion 9B
Issac Ruiz
City of Oroville
BC Table Mountain Fire Center
Gus Boston
DC Magalia Fire Center
Byron Vance
BC Magalia Fire Center
Jeff Edson
BC Chico
AAB & UAS
Shem
Hawkins
BC Vegetation Management Program
Rob Buckout
BC ECC
John Gaddie
BC Training, Safety & EMS
Paul Carlos
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Department Equipment & Facilities
Butte County Cooperative Fire Protection operates facilities and equipment from 6 fire departments: CAL FIRE Butte Unit, Butte County Fire Department, Gridley Fire Department, Biggs Fire Department, Oroville Fire Department, and the Town of Paradise Fire Department.
• 1 Emergency Command Center
• 2 Mobile Equipment Shops
• 1 Air Attack Base
• 24 Career Fire Stations
• 29 Front Line Fire Engines
• 7 Type I Hand Crews
• 2 Transport/bulldozers
• 1 Air Tactical Plane
• 1 Type III Air Tanker
• 1 Type II Haz-Mat Unit
• 1 Type II Technical Rescue Unit
• 1 Type I Water Rescue Unit
• 2 Aerial (110’) Ladder Trucks
• 16 Volunteer Companies
• 16 Volunteer Fire Stations
• 21 Volunteer Fire Engines
• 13 Type I Water Tenders
• 6 Squads
• 1 Breathing Air Support Unit
• 1 Training Facility
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Personnel Profile
Personnel (Summer)
Personnel (Winter)
21 Department Chiefs
207,303 Population (2022 Census Estimate)
591,644
Acres of State Wildland Fire Responsibility
163,562 Acres of Federal Wildland Fire Responsibility 20 Civilian Personnel
County Volunteers
1,677 Service Area Square Miles 170 On-Duty Strength (Summer)
379,489 Acres of Local Wildland Fire Responsibility
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Uniformed
Butte County Profile 413
Uniformed
277
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Station Map
Fire Department Facilities
CAL FIRE Station (11)
Butte County Fire Station (10)
City of Oroville (1)
Town of Paradise (2)
Butte County Volunteer Fire Station (16)
Magalia Fire Center
Table Mountain Fire Center
Chico Air Attack Base
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24 27 26 25 67 61 52 60 38 37 42 44 82 81 45 71 73 66 74 72 64 55 41 31 MFC 12 10 33 21 22 13 35 36 63 51 11 70 149 162 162 70 32 191 99 23 62 54
BUTTE COUNTY COOPERATIVE FIRE PROTECTION
Lookout 91 TAB
Butte County Volunteers
More than one million, the vast majority, of U.S. firefighters serve as volunteers. In 2023, there were 127 volunteer firefighters throughout Butte County. Since the 1970s, volunteer firefighters have been a part of the Butte County Fire Department in augmenting each other’s ranks, developing an effective, full-service organization with a mission to protect lives, property, and the environment from fire and other disasters.
In 2023, there were 127 volunteer firefighters throughout Butte County.
Volunteer Companies (16)
• Company 12—Stirling City
• Company 21—Cohasset
• Company 10/24—Butte Meadows/Forest Ranch
• Company 25—Butte Valley
• Company 26—Butte Creek Canyon
• Company 33—Upper Ridge
• Company 37—Yankee Hill
• Company 42—Chico Metro
• Company 45—Durham
• Company 52—Feather Falls
• Company 61—Berry Creek
• Company 64—Kelly Ridge
• Company 67—Cherokee
• Company 71—Richvale
• Company 74—Gridley
• Company 81—Paradise
www.joinbcfd.org
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Fire Prevention Bureau
Be Ready, Butte! is a grant funded public safety project. First launched in 2021, the program was created to influence behavior change and educate Butte County residents in high fire risk communities.
The project focuses on public education for wildfire preparation, including:
• Defensible Space
• Home Hardening
• Zone Awareness
• Evacuation Planning
2023 Defensible Space Initiative
In 2023, a concentrated effort to accelerate behavior change around defensible space preparation required increased personnel involvement from Defensible Space Inspectors as well as expanded public outreach. The programs successes were displayed in the overall decrease in citations, litigation and failed compliance. Efforts also amounted to a 10% increase in passing the first inspection, which decreased the need for personnel resources for a second inspection.
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Defensible Space Inspectors
5,551 Inspections Completed
86% Inspection Compliance
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2023 outreach included:
• Media Efforts: TV, Radio, Billboards, and Digital Ads
• Educational Videos
• Seasonal Checklists
• Physical Mailers
• Year-round Education: Digital, Email, and Social Media
• Website Resources: BeReadyButte.com
• Localization: Spanish & Hmong
• 1:1 Defensible Space Inspections
Defensible Space Inspections
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Visit BeReadyButte.com today!
COMING SOON TO YOUR AREA
73 Education Programs
110K Residents Reached
386 Posts 501 Posts 113 Posts
22 Arrests
35 Citations 52,201 Followers 45,289 Followers
44 Media Releases/ Fact Sheets 51 Subpoenas Received
Engagement
Education Defensible Space Stats
10,527,698 Reach
2,173,500 Reach
4,169 Followers
5,551 State PRC 4291 Inspections 10% Increase in Compliance Year-Over-Year
0 Citations Issued 147 Referrals to County Code Enforcement
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PIO/Public
66,105 Reach
Law Enforcement
Social Media
Facebook Twitter Instagram
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Vegetation Management
A combination use of fuel reduction and prescribed burns helps firefighters to protect life, property and the environment.
In 2023, Butte County/CAL FIRE dedicated significant resources towards two primary vegetation management operations.
• Prescribed Fire: The planned and controlled application of fire to the land under specified conditions, to reduce vegetation and risk from wildfire.
• Fuel Reduction: Pruning, vegetation thinning, chipping and creating 10 feet or more of roadway clearance.
The Results:
• Less fuels reduced the risk of catastrophic fires
• Increased the number of fire breaks for firefighters to quickly contain fires
• Improved access for firefighters to quickly mitigate incidents, save lives and protect property
• Improved the habitat, watershed and ecosystems
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Prescribed Burn
1,406
Treated Acres
Fuel Reduction
762
Treated Acres
8,361 Personnel Hours 3,432 Equipment Hours
11,714 Personnel Hours 5,194 Equipment Hours
Totals
2,168
Treated Acres 20,075 Personnel Hours 8,262 Equipment Hours
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4,065.5
12,356
18 Fire Hours Fire Hours 5,895 MAG 1 22,225 Total Fire Hours
Total Fire Hours 9,213 MAG 2 8,654 MAG 3 5,463 MAG 4 39,354 Total Hours
4,325
Total Hours 25,617 Total Training Hours
Total Training Hours Fuel Reduction/Work Project Hours Fuel Reduction/Work Project Hours 611.5 TAB Crew 1 1,488 TAB Crew 2 2,225.5 TAB Crew 3 Training Hours Training Hours MAGALIA FIRE CENTER TABLE MTN FIRE CENTER Facility open date: July 1, 2023
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Air Attack Base Flight Hours
hrs Air Attack 210 48.60 hrs Tanker 93 111.45 hrs Total Flight Hours Retardant Delivery
gal Total Gallons of Retardant Pumped Statewide Technical & Water Rescue 18 Rope Rescue 1 Confined Space 2 MREI—Tech Rescue—Industrial 5 Static Water 21 Dynamic Water 12 Remote Area Medical Hazardous Material Response 1 Illegal Dump 1 Hazmat Result of Traffic Collision 3 Other
water, propane leak
saddle tank leak)
Chico
62.85
300,359
Types of Incidents (contaminated
and
Training, Safety & EMS Bureau
• CAL FIRE Classes
• Butte County Fire Classes
• State Fire Training Classes
• Volunteer FireFighting Classes
• Employee Apprenticeship Classes (JAC)
• Emergency Medical Service Training
• Haz Mat Courses
• Respiratory Protection Program Compliance
• Ladder Testing
• Other Training
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Total Classes
140,058 Total Hours Trained
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Fire Marshal/Fire Protection Planning
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Plan Review Count Residential Plan Review 436 Non-Residential Plan Review 65 Residential Final Inspection 358 Non-Residential Final Inspection 39 Pre-Development Review 5 Lot Line Adjustment 15 Parcel Merger 2 Tentative Parcel Map 8 Tentative Subdivision Map 3 Legal Lot Determination 3 Permits Count Administrative Permits 8 Use Permits 4 Minor Use Permits 4 Parade Permits 3 Item Count Title 19/SB 1205 Inspections 163 Inspections Count Pre-Development Plan Review 4 Residential Plan Review 579 Non-Residential Plan Review 89 Final Inspection—Residential 392 Final Inspections—Non-Residential 45 Title 19 Inspections 99 Admin Permits 2 Parade/Festival Permits 2 Use Permits 6 Minor Use Permits 1 General Plan Amendments 3 Land Conservation Agreements 1 Lot Line Determinations 10 Lot Line Adjustments 20 Parcel Merger 7 Tentative Parcel Maps 12 Tentative Subdivision Maps 7 Map Extensions 1
Emergency Response Statistics
CAL FIRE Butte County Fire Command Center provides a variety of services to Butte County residents. In 2023, the ECC dispatched 24,990 incidents.
Definitions and Notes
Dispatched Agencies: All agencies that are dispatched by the CAL FIRE / Butte County Fire Department Oroville Emergency Command Center.
First Due Station: The jurisdictional agency station’s area where the incident occurred based on the Computer Aided Dispatch Dynamic Routing.
Agencies
• City of Biggs Fire Department
• Butte County Fire Department
• CAL FIRE Butte Unit
• CAL FIRE (Out Of Unit Activity)
• City of Chico Fire Department
• El Medio Fire Protection District
• City of Gridley Fire Department
• United States Forest Service Lassen National Forest
• City of Oroville Fire Department
• United States Forest Service Plumas National Forest
• Town of Paradise Fire Department
• Tehama County Fire Department
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The Butte Unit Emergency Command Center (ECC) is a secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and performs command and control services for all the unincorporated areas of Butte County, City of Biggs, City of Gridley, Town of Paradise, and City of Oroville. The ECC interrogates, processes and dispatches appropriate resources to all emergencies. The ECC is staffed with Fire Captains and Communication Operators which are all trained as emergency medical dispatchers allowing them to provide advanced medical direction over the phone to the public. The ECC is also the regional Air Ambulance dispatch center for Butte, Glenn, Tehama, and Shasta County.
The BTU ECC is the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) Fire Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordination Center for Butte County. As the Operational Area Coordinator,
the ECC has the responsibility to coordinate all fire mutual aid requests for all jurisdictions within Butte County. This responsibility gives the ECC the authority to coordinate resources for a large-scale incident within Butte County or to emergencies in Northern California or throughout the State.
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Call Type Stats Total 911 Phone Calls 16,810 10 Digit Emergency Line 9,360 Administration Phone Calls 38,858 Total 65,028 Medical Flights Coordinated 798 Emergency Medical Provided 6,924
All Dispatched Agencies First Due Station Activit y
01/01/2023 to 12/31/2023
10-Year Incident Comparison by Year All Accidents
01/01 to 12/31
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B u t t e M e a d o w s1 1 | 3 2 S t i r l i n g C i t y1 3 | 1 2 5 C o h a s s e t2 2 | 1 0 2 F o r e s t R a n c h2 3 | 2 0 3 P a r a d i s e3 5 | 4 3 7 J a r b o G a p3 6 | 2 1 1 N o r d4 1 | 4 9 3 S o u t h C h i c o4 4 | 7 7 3 D u r h a m4 5 | 3 7 6 R o b i n s o n M i l l5 4 | 2 2 9 B a n g o r5 5 | 1 8 0 H a r t s M i l l6 2 | 1 4 9 R i c h v a l e7 1 | 9 7 B i g g s7 3 | 2 9 6 P a r a d i s e B i r c h8 1 | 7 3 8 P a r a d i s e S L i b b y8 2 | 6 9 7 O r o v i l l e6 3 | 1 , 8 1 9 U p p e r R i d g e3 3 | 1 , 6 5 8 K e l l y R i d g e6 4 | 1 , 7 5 6 P a l e r m o7 2 | 1 , 5 8 0 G r i d l e y7 4 | 1 , 4 4 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 18,498 19.162 20, 252 19,024 15,691 15,829 23,502 24,990 18,918 19,975 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 O r o v i l l e9 1 | 6 , 0 9 1
Incident Type Percentages (All Agencies)
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Vegetation Fires 395 1% Structure Fires 238 1% Other Fires 1,759 7% Medicals 19,772 79% Hazardous Materials 650 3% Public Assists 2,176 9% Total 24,990 100% All Agencies Medicals
Other Fires
Hazardous
Public Assists
Materials
All Dispatched Agencies First Due Station Activity by Type
01/01/2023–12/31/2023
*Disclaimer: These numbers don’t take into account incidents from air ambulance, admin assistance (ed management) or CAL FIRE request.
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STR VEH VEG OTH FIRE FA MED MEDC2 MTC HAZMAT RESCUE HAZ-CON PSA OTH TOTAL 11 1 1 0 0 1 12 2 9 0 1 1 3 1 32 13 1 0 1 4 6 68 11 3 0 0 8 20 3 125 22 1 3 2 7 6 41 14 8 0 0 9 11 0 102 23 0 2 12 6 11 80 20 16 0 4 9 42 1 203 33 12 3 12 30 84 1004 207 60 4 2 65 170 5 1,658 35 0 1 2 8 41 226 65 25 0 0 27 40 2 437 36 3 2 9 15 33 96 13 12 0 5 10 12 1 211 41 3 7 11 18 35 242 45 61 0 3 19 42 7 493 44 2 4 13 18 69 400 71 83 0 4 21 82 6 773 45 4 4 6 4 22 215 44 20 0 3 10 42 2 376 51 0 0 1 2 2 6 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 13 54 3 2 4 11 22 116 22 21 1 0 8 18 1 229 55 3 2 11 7 16 88 12 11 0 0 17 10 3 180 62 1 1 10 9 8 73 13 14 0 1 15 2 2 149 63 13 6 20 27 108 1083 229 77 0 8 27 198 23 1,819 64 8 6 15 12 66 1045 233 73 1 5 47 236 9 1,756 71 0 1 3 2 10 48 11 21 0 0 0 1 0 97 72 15 12 24 26 65 1006 204 78 0 0 29 111 10 1,580 73 4 2 7 8 17 164 31 21 0 1 8 32 1 296 74 29 11 25 29 77 803 166 107 2 4 34 150 3 1,440 81 2 3 11 9 49 426 99 34 0 0 40 62 3 738 82 1 2 0 8 49 359 105 32 0 0 40 95 6 697 91 17 28 56 120 303 4064 816 228 3 4 89 350 13 6091
Incident Activity by Type for Butte County FD
01/01/2023–12/31/2023
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Vegetation Fires 87 1% Structure Fires 79 1% Other Fires 579 5% Medicals 8,807 80% Hazardous Materials 342 3% Public Assists 1,100 10% Total 11,057 100%
Butte County FD Medicals
Other Fires
Public Assists
Hazardous Materials
Incident Activity by Type for Oroville FD
01/01/2023–12/31/2023
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Vegetation Fires 56 1% Structure Fires 17 0.5% Other Fires 303 5% Medicals 5,091 87% Hazardous Materials 92 1.5% Public Assists 324 5% Total 5,883 100%
Oroville FD Medicals
Other Fires
Public Assists
Incident Activity by Type for Paradise FD
01/01/2023–12/31/2023
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Vegetation Fires 11 1% Structure Fires 3 1% Other Fires 165 9% Medicals 1,254 72% Hazardous Materials 103 6% Public Assists 201 11% Total 1,737 100% Paradise FD Medicals
Hazardous
Other Fires Public Assists
Materials
Incident Activity by Type for Gridley FD
01/01/2023–12/31/2023
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Vegetation Fires 4 1% Structure Fires 11 1% Other Fires 61 7% Medicals 673 79% Hazardous Materials 16 2% Public Assists 90 10% Total 855 100%
Gridley FD Medicals
Other Fires
Public Assists
Incident Activity by Type for Biggs FD
01/01/2022–12/31/2022
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Vegetation Fires 1 1% Structure Fires 4 2.5% Other Fires 8 5% Medicals 120 76% Hazardous Materials 4 2.5% Public Assists 20 13% Total 157 100%
FD Medicals Other
Public
Hazardous Materials
Biggs
Fires
Assists
Proudly serving the County of Butte, City of Oroville, Town of Paradise, Cities of Gridley and Biggs
