San Bernardino County Fire Department

What San Bernardino County Fire Department does

San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCoFD) is a California county-government fire protection agency, not a commercial enterprise. It operates 50 fire stations and approximately 1,141 personnel (including 712 fire suppression, 309 professional staff, and 102 ambulance operators) across 19,273 square miles, serving more than 2 million residents in 24 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. The agency's FY 2022-23 total budget was $367.7 million, funded through a combination of county taxes and special assessments (46.4%), county general fund support (6.3%), fees and service charges such as ambulance transport (18.1%), and federal/state grants.

Core service lines include structural and wildland fire suppression, Advanced Life Support EMS transport, Urban Search and Rescue (one of 12 California Regional USAR Task Forces), hazardous materials response under CUPA authority (covering 8,124 regulated facilities), swift water rescue, large animal rescue, and emergency management. Adjacent programs include the Household Hazardous Waste network (3.4 million pounds managed in FY22-23, 14 collection sites), the COAST2 multi-agency behavioral health crisis response team, a K-9 support therapy program, and the CONFIRE emergency communications/dispatch center. The department processed approximately 133,000 calls for service in FY 2022-23 and conducts more than 8,400 safety inspections annually.

SBCoFD's go-to-market is statutory and zero-priced to end users: it is a public-safety monopoly within its jurisdiction, with revenue derived from mandatory tax assessments, fees for selected services (ambulance transport, plan review, inspections, burn permits), and competitive grants (FEMA AFG, CAL FIRE, OHMVR). The department is pursuing technology-driven differentiation through co-development of the FireSparrow Mk10 water-dropping drone with Ponderosa.ai (Feb 2026), testing of Sonic Fire Tech's AI-driven sound wave suppression system (Mar 2026), and an EV/renewable-energy training partnership with Tesla (Sep 2025). These pilots are off-take-funded experiments rather than commercial revenue lines, but they signal a strategic posture around technology adoption unusual for a government fire agency.

Name

San Bernardino County Fire Department

Legal name

San Bernardino County Fire Protection District

Website

https://sbcfire.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

San Bernardino County Fire Protection District is a government fire agency delivering fire suppression, ALS EMS, hazardous materials, USAR, and emergency management across 19,273 square miles, serving 2M+ residents via 50 fire stations and 1,141 personnel on a $367.7M tax- and grant-funded budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Fire Protection & Emergency Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Fire suppression services
• Emergency medical services
• Wildland fire management
• Hazardous materials response
• Search and rescue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

San Bernardino

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Tax Funding: The department is funded primarily through county taxes and special assessments ($170.5M, 46.4% of budget), county general fund support ($23.3M, 6.3%), and fees/service charges including ambulance transport fees ($66.7M, 18.1%). As a public safety agency, services are provided to residents as a public good funded by tax revenue.
2. Grant Funding: The department receives grants from FEMA (Assistance to Firefighters Grant), CAL FIRE, California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program, and California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division to fund specific programs, equipment, and personnel training.
3. Fees and Service Charges: Revenue from fees including ambulance transport fees, plan review fees, inspection fees, and other service charges ($66.7M annually).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

San Bernardino County Fire Protection District is a county government fire agency delivering all-hazard emergency services across 19,273 square miles, including fire suppression, Advanced Life Support EMS transport, wildland firefighting, urban search and rescue, hazardous materials response, swift water rescue, large animal rescue, and emergency management. It also provides fire prevention inspections, plan reviews, household hazardous waste collection, public education, and operates CONFIRE dispatch and the Alert & Warning notification system for 2M+ residents.

Product overview

San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides comprehensive emergency services as a government agency operating a platform-plus-modules structure. Core services include fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMS), emergency communications (CONFIRE Dispatch), Urban Search and Rescue, hazardous materials response (CUPA), and community safety programs. Specialized modules include the COAST2 Crisis Response Team for mental health intervention, K-9 Support Dog Program for therapy and community outreach, Large Animal Rescue Team, and the Damage Assessment Team with GIS-based Rapid Damage Assessment technology. Emerging technology integrations include the Sonic Fire Tech sound wave firefighting system, FireSparrow Mk10 water-dropping drone (with Ponderosa.ai), and Tesla renewable energy safety training. The district serves over 2 million residents across 19,278 square miles through 50 fire stations with a total budget of $367.7 million and 1,141 personnel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Suppression & Emergency Response Services
• Advanced Life Support (ALS) Emergency Medical Services & Transport
• Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) — California Task Force 6
• Wildland Fire Programs (Dozer, Professional Hand Crews, WUIPP)
• Hazardous Materials Response & CUPA Program
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program
• Office of the Fire Marshal (Inspections, Plan Review, Permits)
• CONFIRE Emergency Dispatch
• Emergency Communications Nurse System (ECNS)
• Alert & Warning System (TENS)
• Ready SB Mobile App
• Community Connect Platform
• Rapid Damage Assessment Solution
• COAST2 Crisis Response Team
• K-9 Support Dog Program
• Large Animal Rescue Team
• Tesla Renewable Energy Safety Training Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 140,000 dispatched responses annually, with some fire engines ranked in the top 1% busiest in the nation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sonic Fire TechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Sonic Fire Tech, a California-based company founded by former NASA engineer Geoff Bruder, developed sound wave firefighting technology inspired by NASA thermo-acoustic engine research. SBCoFD tested a backpack version of the technology in live demonstrations on March 31, 2026, successfully extinguishing small blazes. The department is conducting backpack-style demonstrations for fire departments nationwide, and some new homes in Altadena are already installing the technology.
• California State Parks (OHMVR Division)minorOthers · 3 March 2026SBCoFD submitted application to California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division grant for 2026 grant cycle to fund pre-positioning of firefighters and paramedics at Dumont Dunes Recreation Area during peak holiday periods. The grant covers Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Presidents Weekend, plus operational and administrative costs for safe operations in remote OHV recreation areas.
• Ponderosa.aicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026San Bernardino County Fire has partnered with Ponderosa.ai to co-develop and pilot the FireSparrow Mk10, the nation's first water-dropping suppression drone system. The technology is designed for early fire detection and suppression in high-risk Urban Wildland Interface areas. SBCoFD will be the first fire department in the nation to utilize water-dropping UAVs, with broader vision of deploying drone swarms to respond rapidly to new fire starts.
• TeslaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2025Tesla partnered with San Bernardino County Fire to host a west coast training event at the San Bernardino Regional Emergency Training Center. Tesla engineers and product teams demonstrated electric vehicles, Megapack, Powerwall, Solar systems, and Supercharging infrastructure. The training prepared first responders for incidents involving EVs and energy systems. This was the first time Tesla held this type of training on the west coast; the only previous event was hosted in New York City with FDNY.
• Contra Costa County Fire Protection DistrictminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 September 2025SBCoFD donated a surplus 2007 Crew Carrier (valued at ~$9,800 fully depreciated) to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District to assist their efforts in expanding their hand crew program. The vehicle can carry up to 12 hand crew members and equipment, enhancing mutual aid capabilities statewide.
• San Bernardino Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023SBCoFD partners with San Bernardino Police Department and San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health for the COAST2 (Community Outreach and Support Team) multi-disciplined Crisis Response Team. The team provides behavioral health services, EMS, and law enforcement response for individuals experiencing mental health crises. The program follows the successful COAST1 model launched in Fontana in July 2021, which made contact with nearly 700 individuals in its first year.
• San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Partnership with San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health for the COAST2 crisis response program. DBH provides behavioral health personnel to the COAST2 team, which responds alongside fire/EMS and law enforcement to mental health crises, enabling patients to be connected to appropriate mental health facilities rather than emergency rooms or jails.
• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)coreOthers · 1 September 2022CAL FIRE awarded SBCoFD $701,800 through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program to develop and update Wildland-Urban Interface Pre-Plans (WUIPPs) for 58 additional communities. CAL FIRE has also awarded $20,000 Volunteer Fire Capacity Grant, $175,000 County Coordinator grant, and $50,000 Household Hazardous Waste grant. Total CAL FIRE support has provided grants exceeding $1.1M for wildfire preparedness, volunteer firefighter PPE, and hazardous waste programs.
• Working Dogs for WarriorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2022Working Dogs for Warriors partnered with SBCoFD to establish the K9 Support Dog Program, a mental health therapy and crisis response program. The organization was paramount in starting the program and provides ongoing training support. The program includes 5 handler-dog teams providing behavioral wellness support for department members and community members, with dogs available for special presentations, community events, and official ceremonies.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Los Angeles County Fire Department: Large California county fire agency covering ~2,300 sq mi and 4M+ residents with comparable all-hazard services (fire, EMS, USAR, hazmat, wildland). It is the closest operational peer given shared California regulatory environment, urban-wildland interface challenges, and similar scale of suppression and EMS operations.
• Riverside County Fire Department: Adjacent Southern California county fire agency serving a similarly large geographic area with extensive wildland-urban interface exposure. Operates comparable CAL FIRE-cooperative programs, EMS transport, and CUPA-style hazmat oversight, making it a direct comparable for service portfolio and funding structure.
• Orange County Fire Authority: Regional fire authority serving 23 member cities in Orange County with a joint powers authority governance model. Comparable in offering comprehensive fire, EMS, USAR, and hazardous materials response, and in operating under California public administration frameworks.
• Kern County Fire Department: California county fire agency with extensive wildland and oil-field hazard exposure. Comparable in scale and rural-urban mix, providing similar fire suppression, EMS, hazmat, and wildland program structures to SBCoFD.
• Ventura County Fire Department: California county fire agency with significant urban-wildland interface and wildland program emphasis. Operates comparable all-hazard services, including USAR, hazardous materials response, and community risk reduction programs, in a similarly diverse terrain.

Broad incumbents

• CAL FIRE: California's state-level fire protection agency responsible for wildfire protection on state responsibility areas and a major grantor to county fire departments. While not a direct operational peer, CAL FIRE is the key state partner providing cooperative funding, training, and wildland resources to SBCoFD.
• Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD): Major U.S. municipal fire department serving a 4M+ population with comparable EMS, USAR, and hazmat capabilities. While city-based rather than county-based, LAFD is a relevant peer for operational scale, innovation pilots, and partnership-driven capability expansion.
• Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY): Largest municipal fire department in the United States, serving 8M+ residents with high call volume and advanced special operations. Comparable in operational complexity and as an early partner for innovation pilots (e.g., the prior Tesla training partnership).
• Miami-Dade Fire Rescue: Large county-level fire and rescue agency in Florida providing comprehensive all-hazard services including USAR (Florida Task Force 1), hazmat, EMS, and air rescue. Comparable in scope and as a similarly-sized county-wide provider, though in a different climate risk profile.
• Maricopa County (Phoenix) Fire Department: One of the largest municipal fire departments in the southwestern U.S., serving a metropolitan area of 4M+ residents with comparable urban-wildland interface challenges. Relevant peer for call volume scale, EMS delivery model, and innovation adoption patterns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SBCOUNTYFIRE
• Facebookfacebook.com/SanBernardinoCountyFire
• Instagraminstagram.com/sanbernardinocountyfire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Bernardino County Fire Department