Berkeley Fire Department
Berkeley Fire Department is a municipal public safety agency of the City of Berkeley, California, providing 24-hour fire suppression, EMS, hazardous materials response, water rescue, and disaster response to Berkeley residents, with a Wildland Division focused on Berkeley Hills wildfire mitigation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1904
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Berkeley Fire Department does
The Berkeley Fire Department is a municipal public safety agency of the City of Berkeley, California, founded in 1904 and headquartered at 1250 Ninth Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. It provides 24-hour response to fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials events, water rescues, disasters, and other life-threatening situations, serving the full residential and commercial population of Berkeley across the city's high-density urban core and the wildfire-exposed Berkeley Hills. Core operational offerings comprise Emergency Response Services (all-hazard response), a Firefighter Career Program, a Paramedic Career Program, and a Wildland Division anchored by the Fire Intern Inspector Program — a paid internship pipeline that performs defensible space inspections, hazardous vegetation monitoring, data collection, and community wildfire-mitigation education.
The department's business model is government-funded: it does not charge end users for emergency services and is financed through City of Berkeley tax revenue and public budgets. Compensation for uniformed personnel is structured around California public-safety benchmarks, with firefighter base salaries of $129,617 plus a benefits package valued at $121,361 (including CalPERS Safety Pension, health/dental insurance with no employee premium, education reimbursement, 16 paid holidays, 2–6 weeks vacation by seniority, $1,400 annual uniform allowance, and 12% cumulative longevity pay), and paramedic take-home pay of $88,592–$118,654 plus benefits valued up to $90,000 (including differentiated wellness, mental health, and MRI screening programs). The Fire Intern Inspector Program pays $19.18 per hour.
The department's technology footprint is conventional municipal-EMS — radio communications, HAM radio orientation, GPS and field-survey tools, mapping software, and electronic data collection devices for inspection records — with no disclosed proprietary software, AI/ML systems, or commercial integrations. The Wildland Division's defensible-space and vegetation-management work, combined with the recently enacted Zone Zero wildfire safety regulations (effective January 1, 2026, applying to approximately 1,400 Berkeley Hills homes and modeled in part on Cal Fire recommendations), represents the department's principal proactive mitigation capability and its most material regulatory expansion.
Berkeley Fire Department firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Berkeley Fire Department
- Legal name
- Berkeley Fire Department
- Website
- https://berkeleyfire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1904
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Berkeley Fire Department is a municipal public safety agency of the City of Berkeley, California, providing 24-hour fire suppression, EMS, hazardous materials response, water rescue, and disaster response to Berkeley residents, with a Wildland Division focused on Berkeley Hills wildfire mitigation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Berkeley Fire Department industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Safety / Municipal Fire Department Services
- NAICS
- Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)
- SIC
- Forestry (800)
- 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), Integrated Forest Health & Fire Management Planning (AFAMAEAK), Wildfire Suppression & Incident Response (AFAMAEAE)
Keywords
Where Berkeley Fire Department is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Berkeley Fire Department business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Public Safety Services: The Berkeley Fire Department is a government-funded municipal emergency services organization. As a public fire department, it is funded through city tax revenue and public budgets rather than direct customer payments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Firefighter position with base salary and comprehensive benefits |
| Other | Annual | Paramedic position with competitive compensation and benefits |
| Other | Hourly | Fire Intern Inspector paid internship program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Berkeley Fire Department product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Berkeley Fire Department provides 24-hour emergency response to fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials events, water rescues, disasters, and other life-threatening situations across Berkeley, California. The department operates a Wildland Division focused on wildfire risk reduction in Berkeley Hills, including the Fire Intern Inspector Program, defensible space inspections, hazardous fuel reduction, and community fire safety education. As a municipal department, it is funded through city tax revenue and delivers all-hazard fire suppression, emergency medical services, disaster preparedness, and public education programs.
Product overview
The Berkeley Fire Department operates as a unified emergency services organization providing 24-hour response to fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials events, water rescues, and disasters. The department's core offerings include Emergency Response Services for immediate life-threatening situations, a Fire Intern Inspector Program through its Wildland Division focused on wildfire risk reduction and defensible space inspections, Firefighter Career Program positions offering urban emergency response experience, and Paramedic Career Program positions emphasizing professional EMS delivery. Together, these services form a comprehensive public safety operation serving Berkeley, California.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Emergency Response Services
Companies that use Berkeley Fire Department
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Berkeley Fire Department technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Berkeley Fire Department partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cal FirecoreCal Fire recommendations informed the development of Berkeley's 'Zone Zero' wildfire safety regulations. The regulations are modeled in part on Cal Fire recommendations and impose requirements for vegetation management and defensible space out to 100 feet from structures.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Berkeley Fire Department competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alameda County Fire Department: County-level fire/EMS provider covering unincorporated areas and contracted cities in Alameda County. Comparable regional peer with overlapping service territory and mutual-aid relationship potential.
- Contra Costa County Fire Protection District: Large East Bay fire protection district. Comparable as a wildland-urban interface responder with active defensible-space and vegetation management programs.
- San Jose Fire Department: Large California municipal fire department delivering fire, EMS, hazmat, and rescue. Comparable in service scope and urban-wildland interface exposure near the Santa Cruz Mountains.
- Oakland Fire Department: Adjacent municipal fire department serving Oakland, CA. Directly comparable as a Bay Area all-hazard fire/EMS provider serving an urban-wildland interface population.
- City of Pasadena Fire Department: California municipal fire department with a recognized wildland-urban interface program and defensible-space ordinance. Comparable mid-size department with similar regulatory approach.
- San Francisco Fire Department: Urban Bay Area municipal fire department. Comparable as a dense-city all-hazard provider offering fire suppression, EMS, and specialized rescue capabilities, with a larger headcount.
Regional players
- Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District: Regional California fire protection district with comparable all-hazard and wildland-urban interface responsibilities, but operating in a different geography.
Broad incumbents
- CAL FIRE: California state agency responsible for fire protection on state responsibility areas. Active strategic partner to BFD on Zone Zero and the authoritative source of defensible-space standards BFD models.
- Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD): One of the largest U.S. municipal fire departments. Broader incumbent in the same all-hazard public-safety category, with overlapping wildland-urban interface responsibilities.
Others
- Berkeley FireSafe Council: Community nonprofit affiliated with BFD focused on wildfire safety education and outreach. Ecosystem partner that extends BFD's mitigation reach without competing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Berkeley Fire Department social profiles
Digital presenceBerkeley Fire Department financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Berkeley Fire Department leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Berkeley Fire Department funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Berkeley Fire Department M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Berkeley Fire Department
What does Berkeley Fire Department do?
The Berkeley Fire Department provides 24-hour emergency response to fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials events, water rescues, disasters, and other life-threatening situations across Berkeley, California. The department operates a Wildland Division focused on wildfire risk reduction in Berkeley Hills, including the Fire Intern Inspector Program, defensible space inspections, hazardous fuel reduction, and community fire safety education. As a municipal department, it is funded through city tax revenue and delivers all-hazard fire suppression, emergency medical services, disaster preparedness, and public education programs.
Is Berkeley Fire Department a public or private company?
Berkeley Fire Department is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Berkeley Fire Department founded?
Berkeley Fire Department was founded in 1904. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Berkeley Fire Department based?
Berkeley Fire Department is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Berkeley Fire Department make money?
One revenue line is on record: public Safety Services.
Who are Berkeley Fire Department's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alameda County Fire Department, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, San Jose Fire Department, Oakland Fire Department, City of Pasadena Fire Department and San Francisco Fire Department. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are CAL FIRE and Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD). Berkeley FireSafe Council is listed as an others.
Does Berkeley Fire Department have an API?
No public API is recorded for Berkeley Fire Department.
What industry is Berkeley Fire Department in?
Berkeley Fire Department's product category is Public Safety / Municipal Fire Department Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAGAB, Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue), with a secondary code of BPAIACAL, Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management). Its NAICS code is 92216 and its SIC code is 800.