History

The Arcata Fire Department was established on January 24, 1884 after the town had suffered through several major fires and the development of a water system. Our first official name was “Arcata Fire Company No. 1”, which was promptly changed to “Arcata Hook and Ladder Company No. 1” less than one month later. Some of the first equipment the Fire Department acquired was a hose cart, ladder cart, lanterns, a tin speaking trumpet, and an axe. The fire department again changed its name to the “Arcata Volunteer Fire Department” and protected the City of Arcata.

The Arcata Fire Protection District came into existence on June 1, 1944 to protect the areas surrounding Arcata. The Fire Department saw it’s first paid personnel in 1953 beginning with the Fire Chief. In September of 1960, the department expanded to cover the town of McKinleyville, which neighbors Arcata to the North. The McKinleyville Fire Station was built and staffed that same year. The City of Arcata expanded and the Mad River Fire Station was built in 1975.

Today, Arcata Fire is a combination department (volunteer and career firefighters) protecting 36,000 residents living amongst industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural, beaches, and wildland areas. We are located on the remote and isolated coast of Northern California and protect the City of Arcata, the communities of McKinleyville, Bayside, Manila, Jacoby Creek and other rural areas for a total service area of 63 square miles. We exist next to the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a seismically active area, which makes our fire district vulnerable to significant earthquakes resulting in possible fires and natural disasters. The Mad River, one of the six major wild rivers on the north coast, bisects the district into two potentially isolated geographic areas.