South Lake County Fire Protection District

What South Lake County Fire Protection District does

South Lake County Fire Protection District (SLCFPD) is an independent California special district providing fire protection, wildland fire suppression, and Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance services across more than 268 square miles in southern Lake County, California. Founded in 1925 as the Middletown Fire Protection District and renamed in 1987, the district operates three staffed stations (Cobb, Middletown, Hidden Valley) and is supported by a 35-member volunteer force organized through the South Lake County Volunteer Firefighters Association. Since 2000, the district has contracted with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) for personnel and management services, while governance remains with an elected five-member Board of Directors.

The district serves residential property owners in Middletown, Anderson Springs, Cobb, Loch Lomond, and Hidden Valley, and has historically extended protection to geothermal power facilities on its western boundary. Beyond core emergency response, the district runs community resilience programs including Operation Adopt-A-Hydrant (2025), Operation Force Multiplier (2024), and Operation Seconds Count, and administers AB-38 defensible space inspections for property transactions in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Ancillary fee-based services include a $25 reflective address sign program and fire mitigation fees for new construction.

Revenue is generated primarily through property taxes, parcel tax assessments, and fire mitigation fees collected on new construction, with a historically significant but explicitly declining geothermal tax revenue stream. The district also charges $25 per customized address sign and assesses mitigation fees for residential, commercial, and solar installations. As a public government entity, SLCFPD does not pursue commercial growth; the addressable "market" is fixed by its legislatively defined service area, and expansion occurs only through territorial annexation. The district is marked by deep community integration through volunteer recruitment and public board meetings, with financial transparency obligations under California special district law.

Name

South Lake County Fire Protection District

Legal name

South Lake County Fire Protection District

Website

https://southlakecountyfire.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Lake County Fire Protection District is an independent special district providing fire suppression, wildland fire response, and ALS ambulance services across 268 square miles in southern Lake County, California, funded by property taxes and serving residential communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Protection and Emergency Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildfire Suppression & Incident Response (AFAMAEAE), Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Fire suppression services
• Emergency medical services
• Wildland fire protection
• Defensible space inspections
• Fire mitigation fees

Headquarters

HQ city

Middletown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: District funded by property taxes from the area they serve, similar to other fire districts in California.
2. Special Tax Assessment: Parcel tax revenue collected annually to support district operations and services.
3. Fire Mitigation Fees: Fees paid for all new construction and additions within the district to mitigate fire service impact.
4. Geothermal Tax Revenue: District receives geothermal tax revenue from geyser industry facilities on western boundary (historically significant but declining).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

South Lake County Fire Protection District is an independent California special district providing fire suppression, Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance services, wildland fire protection, and emergency response across more than 268 square miles in southern Lake County. The district also administers defensible space inspections under AB-38, processes fire mitigation fees for new construction, and runs community preparedness programs including address sign sales and volunteer firefighter recruitment.

Product overview

South Lake County Fire Protection District operates as an independent special district providing fire protection and emergency medical services across over 268 square miles in southern Lake County, California. The core offerings include fire suppression, Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance services, and emergency response. The District supplements its emergency services with community resilience programs including Operation Adopt-A-Hydrant (maintaining hydrant visibility), Operation Force Multiplier (distributing firefighting tools), and Operation Seconds Count (providing smoke alarms). Additional services include AB-38 defensible space inspections for fire hazard zones, a fee-based Address Sign Program, Fire Mitigation Fee administration for new construction, and a Volunteer Firefighter Program with training and certifications. The District contracts with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) for personnel and management services since 2000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Response coverage to communities previously underserved by individual small departments

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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2000On June 15, 2000, SLCFPD voted to enter into a contract to provide personnel and management services from CAL FIRE. This took effect July 1, 2000. The district staffs Cobb, Middletown, and Hidden Valley stations with 2 response personnel at each location under this arrangement. CAL FIRE provides professional firefighting resources, equipment, and trained personnel while the district maintains governance and oversight through its elected Board of Directors.
• South Lake County Volunteer Firefighters AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization of 35 volunteers that supports district operations. Part of the volunteer staffing model that supplemented career staff. Volunteers must be at least 18, reside within 6 minutes or 2 miles of district boundaries, and complete extensive training including CPR, AED, First Responder, and Haz-Mat certifications.
• The Fire SirensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict Auxiliary organization established in April 1985 that supports district operations by raising funds to purchase equipment and providing food and beverages to personnel during training and emergency incidents.
• CDF/Napa CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid agreements developed for fire and EMS services on Highway 29 between the Napa County line and Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial State Park, as well as the Lake/Napa County line in Butts Canyon. Also mutual aid with Kelseyville Fire Protection District and Lake County Fire Protection District.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection): State agency that provides personnel, management, and firefighting resources to SLCFPD under contract since 2000. Operates wildfire suppression statewide at far greater scale and is the direct operational counterpart that staffs the district's three stations.
• U.S. Forest Service: Federal agency managing wildland fire on National Forest System lands bordering Lake County. While not a service-area competitor, the USFS is a coordination peer in wildland fire incidents and shares operational protocols (ICS, NWCG standards) that SLCFPD adopts via CAL FIRE.

Direct peers

• Kelseyville Fire Protection District: Adjacent California special district with a mutual aid agreement covering SLCFPD's northern boundary. Serves a similar Lake County mixed wildland-urban-interface geography and is funded by the same property tax/parcel tax mechanism.
• Lake County Fire Protection District: Neighboring fire protection district in Lake County with mutual aid responsibilities along SLCFPD's north/east boundary. Operates the same independent special district model with property tax funding and is structurally the closest operational peer.
• Napa County Fire Department: Fire agency providing mutual aid along Highway 29 to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park and the Lake/Napa County line in Butts Canyon. Comparable mixed WUI/rural responsibility area in adjacent county.
• Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District: Other California independent special district providing fire and EMS services in a mixed rural-WUI service area. Operates under analogous state law framework with property tax revenue and CAL FIRE contract options.
• North Sonoma County Fire Protection District: California independent special district serving the WUI communities of northern Sonoma County. Operates with similar governance, property tax revenue model, and wildland fire suppression responsibilities, and shares the regulatory environment around AB-38 inspections and CAL FIRE coordination.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-lake-county-fire-protection-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 South Lake County Fire Protection District