Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Sacramento (Calif.) Fire Department records
CTY0041
No online items
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Center for Sacramento History
Title: Sacramento (Calif). Fire Department records
Identifier/Call Number: CTY0041
Physical Description:
57.39 Linear Feet
(62 boxes, maps and drawings in map case)
Date (inclusive): 1876-2002
Abstract: The Sacramento Fire Department records document the department's management and operations from 1876 to 2006. The records
are representative of the day-to-day functions carried out by the fire department while playing a role in Sacramento's expansion
in the mid-20th century. They include administrative and personnel documents, station records, logbooks and incident reports,
emergency and hazmat planning records, city planning documents, technical reports, equipment records, records related to the
Central Alarm Station, and alarm diagrams.
The collection is open for research.
All requests to publish or quote from private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted
in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron.
No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
[Identification of item, CTY00041, Sacramento Fire Department records, Center for Sacramento History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from the Sacramento City Clerk in 1976 (accession 1976/006) and the Sacramento Fire Department from 1985 to 2018
(2018/005, 2015/008, 2006/024, 1988/064, 1988/116, 1986/071, and 1985/114). Material in the collection was also donated by
Stan Aldrich in 1996 (1996/035) and James Cooke in 1983 (1983/190).
Processed by Kim Hayden, Andrew Shimizu, and Gabriel Suarez from 2018-2023.
In 1872, the California State legislature enacted legislation creating a paid fire department in the City of Sacramento. On
October 1 of that year, the newly created fire department replaced the volunteer fire departments that had existed since 1850.
Beginning with two steam engines and one ladder truck, the Sacramento Fire Department (SFD) has grown to its present-day complement
of thirty engines and ten trucks. This expansion reflects the increase in the city's size and population during the SFD's
existence.
The role of the fire department has expanded significantly since its inception to encompass many duties outside of just preventing
and extinguishing fires. By its 100th anniversary in 1972, the fire department had grown from being strictly a professional
firefighting force into a multifaceted municipal agency serving the city on many levels. In the mid-20th century, the SFD
was a central part of the urban development and expansion of Sacramento, taking on integral roles in planning and zoning enforcement
that helped the city expand its boundaries and build large-scale residential developments. The SFD also broadened its responsibilities
to include activities such as hazardous materials regulation and response, urban search and rescue, swift water rescue, natural
and nuclear disaster preparedness, public safety awareness campaigns, and advising state congressional leaders in residential
fire ordinances such as smoke detectors and weed abatement. These expanded duties laid the groundwork for Sacramento's growth
into the sprawling metropolis it is today.
The Sacramento Fire Department records document the department's management and operations from 1876 to 2006. The records
are representative of the day-to-day functions carried out by the fire department while playing a role in Sacramento's expansion
in the mid-20th century.
The collection is arranged into three series: administrative records, urban planning, and activity logs and incident reports.
Each series contains more specific subseries (see arrangement below). Records in the series include administrative and personnel
documents, station records, logbooks and incident reports, city planning documents, technical reports, equipment records,
emergency and hazmat planning, records related to the Central Alarm Station, alarm diagrams, statistics and studies, legal
and financial records, public relations records, environmental impact reports, and plan checks.
The collection is arranged into 3 series:
- Series 1. Administrative records, 1876-2006
- Subseries 1.1. Management and stations, 1876-1992
- Subseries 1.2. Personnel and labor, 1894-1988
- Subseries 1.3. Equipment and dispatch, 1902-1986
- Subseries 1.4. Emergency planning and hazardous material response, 1971-1985
- Subseries 1.5. Safety programs, outreach, and news coverage, 1941-2006
- Subseries 1.6. Legal, finance, and legislation, 1894-1913; 1965-1985
- Subseries 1.7. Correspondence, 1896-1904; 1960-1987
- Subseries 1.8. Training, 1960-1985
- Subseries 1.9. Statistics and surveys, 1971-1985
- Subseries 1.10. Bids, 1892-1924
- Subseries 1.11. Publications, 1970-1985
- Series 2. Urban planning, 1943-1988
- Subseries 2.1. Plan checking, 1975-1985
- Subseries 2.2. City of Sacramento, annexations, and mutual aid, 1943-1985
- Subseries 2.3. Environmental impact reports (EIRs), 1974-1986
- Series 3. Activity logs and incident reports, 1931-1991
- Subseries 3.1. Activity, station, and alarm logs, 1913-1991
- Subseries 3.2. Records of individual incidents, 1976-1986
Series 1. Administrative records, 1876-2002.
This series contains a wide variety of administrative records that reflect the internal tasks of the SFD as a municipal agency.
It includes personnel records such as hiring notices and union labor agreements, employee rules and regulations, and records
related to training, scheduling, and promotions. The series also contains records that document the department's day-to-day
functions, its structure, and its inner workings, including founding documents, plans for new fire and alarm stations, department
budgets, emergency and hazmat response planning, equipment, alarm diagrams, dispatch, and legal records. In addition, the
series contains correspondence between the SFD and other municipalities, local government, and other fire related organizations;
surveys; statistics; public outreach; and news coverage on VHS. Material in each subseries is arranged alphabetically.
Series 2. Urban planning, 1943-1988. This series contains records that relate to the SFD's role in urban development in Sacramento. The SFD was included in the
planning process in several critical aspects, including commenting on environmental impact reports for city projects, as well
as plan checking and providing guidance in the city's incorporation of outlying neighborhoods from a fire response and emergency
preparedness perspective. Material in each subseries is arranged alphabetically.
Series 3. Activity logs and incident reports, 1931-1991. This series contains fire department activity and incident logs. Material in this series is recorded in a range of formats,
including logbooks and microfilm. Logs document monthly and daily attendance of personnel; specific fire and alarm stations'
activities; equipment use; company movement and activity; portable radio activity; and detailed specifics about incidents.
There are a large number of Uniform Fire Incident Reporting System (UFIRS) logs from the 1970s and 1980s that document incidents
by fire district with very detailed information, including alarms by source of alarm, number of fires and losses by property
classification vs. district, activity by company vs. type of incident, total number of alarms and loss by time of day vs.
day of week, plus many more criteria. This series also includes a box of microfilmed Fire Record Cards, an earlier incident
reporting system that dated from 1938 to 1962. These cards cataloged incidents in a similar manner to the consolidated logs,
but also included the value of property damaged in the individual incidents. Also included are individual incident reports
that were filed for specific large-scale incidents such as arson cases and hazardous material spills. Material in each subseries
is arranged alphabetically.