Menlo Park Fire Protection District

What Menlo Park Fire Protection District does

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District is a California special district that delivers fire suppression, Advanced Life Support emergency medical response, and disaster preparedness services to the City of Menlo Park, Town of Atherton, City of East Palo Alto, and unincorporated areas of San Mateo County. Service delivery is anchored by seven fire stations (Stations 1-6 plus Station 77), approximately 145 district employees, and 220 certified Urban Search and Rescue personnel, with every emergency response unit staffed by at least one licensed paramedic. Specialized capabilities include California Task Force Three (CA-TF3) urban search and rescue, California Swift Water Rescue Three (CA-SWR3), Heavy Rescue, Wildland, Water Rescue, and Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS), backed by FEMA Cooperative Agreements and CalOES Awards. The District holds an ISO Class 1 Public Protection Classification — the highest rating possible — and operates under the 2025 California Fire Code plus four local ordinances (48-2022 through 51-2022) governing service to each constituent jurisdiction. Community programs include CERT, CPR/First Aid, Stop the Bleed, Red Cross Ready, school fire safety, and Cadet/Explorer youth pathways.

The District's revenue model is anchored in property tax collections across the four constituent jurisdictions, supplemented by transactional fees for fire prevention permits, plan review, and inspection services. Permits and fees follow a publicly disclosed unit-pricing schedule, while community preparedness programs are offered free of charge. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: station tours, school programs, public education events, and station-based preparedness classes delivered through the seven-station footprint. Distribution is entirely government-to-government and government-to-resident, with mutual and automatic aid agreements extending effective response coverage to Palo Alto, Redwood City, Woodside, and Portola Valley. Capital expansion is in progress at the Station 1 site, where a new fire station, training facility, and administration building are projected for completion in March 2032.

Name

Menlo Park Fire Protection District

Legal name

Menlo Park Fire Protection District

Website

https://menlofire.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District is a California special district providing fire suppression, Advanced Life Support EMS, urban search and rescue, and disaster preparedness services across Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, and unincorporated San Mateo County through seven fire stations and approximately 145 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety / Fire Protection Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

Keywords

• Fire protection services
• Emergency medical services
• Urban search rescue
• Fire prevention inspections
• Disaster preparedness training

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Public fire protection district funded primarily through property taxes collected within the district boundaries covering Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, and unincorporated San Mateo County areas.
2. Fire Prevention Permits and Fees: Fees collected for fire prevention permits, plan review services, inspection services, and related administrative functions. Fee schedule available for commercial and residential services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Menlo Park Fire Protection District is a public fire protection district providing 24/7 fire suppression, emergency medical services with advanced life support (ALS), and specialized rescue operations across Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, and unincorporated San Mateo County. The District operates seven fire stations with engines, trucks, water rescue vessels, and paramedics, and delivers fire prevention inspections, plan review, permitting, and community disaster preparedness programs (CERT, CPR/First Aid, Stop the Bleed, Red Cross Ready). It also operates special operations teams including California Task Force Three (CA-TF3) Urban Search and Rescue and California Swift Water Rescue Three (CA-SWR3).

Product overview

Menlo Park Fire Protection District provides comprehensive emergency response and fire protection services as a public safety organization operating six fire stations (Stations 1-6) plus Station 77 with specialized water rescue capabilities. The District serves the City of Menlo Park, Town of Atherton, City of East Palo Alto, and unincorporated areas of San Mateo County. Core services include fire suppression with advanced life support EMS, special operations (California Task Force Three urban search and rescue, swift water rescue, heavy rescue, wildland response, TEMS, and Honor Guard), and community risk reduction through CERT training, CPR/First Aid certification, Stop the Bleed, school programs, and fire prevention inspections. The District operates under the 2025 California Fire Code and serves approximately 145 employees across its service area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Suppression and Emergency Response Services Core fire suppression and emergency medical services with advanced life support (ALS) provided by paramedics on all response units, including mutual aid to Palo Alto, Redwood City, Woodside, and Portola Valley.
• California Task Force Three (CA-TF3) Urban Search and Rescue Urban Search and Rescue team of approximately 220 team members providing specialized rescue capabilities for regional and national disaster response.
• California Swift Water / Flood Water Search Rescue Three (CA-SWR3) Specialized swift water and flood water search and rescue operations for waterways within the District and mutual aid throughout the bay area.
• Water Rescue Program Water rescue capabilities including boat operations, jet skis, airboats, and CAL-OES swift water rescue inflatable boats stationed at Station 77.
• Heavy Rescue Program Specialized heavy rescue operations for complex extrication and technical rescue situations.
• Wildland Single Resource Program Wildland fire response capabilities for vegetation fires and wildfire suppression in the hilliest portions of the Fire District.
• Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) Program Emergency medical support integrated with tactical operations for specialized response teams.
• Joint Honor Guard Ceremonial honor guard representing the District at official functions and memorials.
• Fire Prevention and Inspection Services Annual fire inspections for commercial occupancies, commercial and residential inspections, fire investigations, hazard mitigations, plan review, permitting, and code enforcement under the 2025 California Fire Code.
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Free emergency preparedness training program teaching disaster response skills including fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
• CPR / First Aid Certification Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid training and certification courses offered free to community members.
• Stop the Bleed Training Hemorrhage control training program teaching bleeding control techniques for bystanders in emergency situations.
• Red Cross Ready Program Emergency preparedness program preparing individuals and families for disasters through the American Red Cross framework.
• School Fire Safety Programs Fire safety education programs delivered to schools within the district covering fire prevention, emergency evacuation, and disaster preparedness.
• Fire Station Tours and Community Engagement Community engagement through station tours, program and event requests, and public education on emergency preparedness.
• Cadet and Explorer Programs Youth development programs introducing young people to fire service careers through hands-on training and mentorship.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual inspection of all commercial occupancies within the district
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Palo Alto Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid agreement allowing Menlo Park Fire District to respond to the City of Palo Alto, and vice versa, in accordance with a District/Palo Alto mutual aid plan. Station 2 also provides mutual aid to Palo Alto due to proximity to El Camino Real.
• City of Redwood City Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClosest Unit, Automatic Aid, and Move and Cover agreement with Redwood City. Stations 3 and 5 respond to Redwood City under these agreements.
• Town of Woodside Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClosest Unit, Automatic Aid, and Move and Cover agreement. Station 4 responds to Woodside under these emergency response agreements.
• Town of Portola Valley Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClosest Unit, Automatic Aid, and Move and Cover agreement. Station 4 responds to Portola Valley under these emergency response agreements.
• California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState emergency management partnership for Urban Search and Rescue (CA-TF3) and Swift Water Rescue (CA-SWR3) teams. Manages CalOES Awards and FEMA Cooperative Agreements for disaster response capabilities.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEMA Cooperative Agreements supporting California Task Force Three (CA-TF3) Urban Search and Rescue team operations. District manages FEMA-funded emergency response capabilities for national deployment.
• San Mateo County Health DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for household hazardous waste disposal - fire extinguisher drop-off referred to smchealth.org/hhw.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Palo Alto Fire Department: Municipal fire department serving Palo Alto immediately adjacent to MPFPD, with an active mutual aid agreement. Comparable in scope (fire suppression, EMS, prevention) and scale, serving an adjacent Bay Area jurisdiction with similar demographics.
• Redwood City Fire Department: Neighboring San Mateo County fire agency operating under Closest Unit/Automatic Aid with MPFPD. Provides comparable fire suppression, EMS, and rescue services with similar staffing and apparatus profiles in the same county.
• Woodside Fire Protection District: California special district neighbor with WUI exposure similar to MPFPD's hilliest areas and an automatic aid/Move-and-Cover agreement. Comparable as a small special-district fire agency covering unincorporated San Mateo County terrain.
• Portola Valley Fire Department: Adjacent special-district fire agency with mutual aid ties to MPFPD, serving a similarly small and affluent unincorporated San Mateo County community with WUI risk. Comparable size and service mix.

Regional players

• Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department: Large combined fire and EMS agency outside California operating one of the few FEMA USAR task forces (VA-TF1) and comparable USAR/HazMat specialty programs. Comparable in advanced life support staffing model and urban search and rescue capability profile.
• City of Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety: Bay Area public safety agency providing fire suppression, EMS, and prevention to a similarly affluent, tech-anchored community. Comparable in service mix and ALS staffing model, though operating a combined public-safety model rather than a standalone fire district.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles County Fire Department: Large California fire agency with USAR (CA-TF2), swift water, wildland, and heavy rescue programs structurally analogous to MPFPD's CA-TF3/CA-SWR3 capabilities. Operates at vastly larger scale but similar mission and capability stack.
• San Francisco Fire Department: Large urban fire department in the Bay Area providing fire suppression, ALS EMS, USAR (CA-TF3 partner jurisdiction-adjacent), and prevention services. Comparable in advanced life support and USAR dimensions, but serves a much larger urban population.
• San Mateo County Fire / CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit: Broader public fire agency providing wildland and structural response across San Mateo County including unincorporated areas. Comparable in mission (fire suppression, prevention, EMS) but operates at county/region scale rather than district scale.
• Santa Clara County Fire Department: County-level consolidated fire department serving the adjacent county with fire, EMS, USAR, and HazMat capabilities. Overlaps with MPFPD in special operations (USAR-type resources) and prevention scope, though at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/MPFPD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/menlo-park-fire-protection-district

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Menlo Park Fire Protection District