Fire FAQs

ISO’s Public Protection Classification program provides fire protection ratings for communities throughout the United States. In addition to providing standards for evaluating a fire department’s capabilities, a community’s rating can impact fire insurance premiums for property owners.

On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 representing superior property fire protection, the City of Petaluma’s current rating (effective August 1, 2020) is Class 2/2X. We are proud of this achievement, as a Class 2 rating or better typically is awarded to fewer than 5% of communities nationwide.

If an alert or warning needs to be issued for a potential threat to the City of Petaluma, community members can receive these messages by subscribing to Nixle or SoCo Alerts. As part of our emergency management and preparedness, the City of Petaluma provides this alert and warning service free to our community. To subscribe to Nixle text your Zip code to 888777. We encourage all of our community members to also sign up for SoCo Alerts if you have not already done so.

Like the County of Sonoma, the City of Petaluma also has the ability to activate the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system for situations that present an imminent threat to life or property. This notification does not require subscription and is typically received through a wireless device like a mobile phone or tablet. You may have already seen this type of alert before as it commonly used for AMBER alerts.

For more info and access to the evacuation map, go to our Evacuations Page.

Firefighters make their own meals in the fire house and therefore need to shop groceries. This is an on duty activity which means when an emergency is dispatched we drop everything and respond no matter where we are and we need to have the fire engine with us.

The Petaluma Fire Dept. does not offer CPR classes. However, Healthy Petaluma offers training and classes for CPR, AED, and other lifesaving skills, through its HealthQuest program. Go to the Healthy Petaluma website to view upcoming classes.

Many times a fire engine with medically trained firefighters can arrive much faster than an ambulance. Thus, lifesaving treatment immediately. Firefighters on an engine also respond with the ambulance to ensure there are personnel available to assist not just with the patient but also to manage other hazards that may be associated with the incident. Many times medical aids are not as straight forward as dealing with just one patient and we don’t know the extent of the incident until we arrive on scene.

Petaluma enforces the current California Fire Code. Amendments to this code adopted into local law can be found in the Petaluma Municipal Code.

You must request by submitting either the City of Petaluma Records Request, requesting in person at 22 Bassett Street, Petaluma, CA, 94952, or submitting the Petaluma Fire Application for Release of Incident Report form to the appropriate department listed in the form. If you are not sure which form to submit, please email [email protected].

Smoke alarms should be placed as follows:

• one in each bedroom
• one in the hallway or common area serving the bedrooms
• in multi-story homes a smoke alarm shall be placed on each level.
• one carbon monoxide alarm shall be located on each level of the home.

Refer to the manufacturer’s installation instructions for the placement of individual smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.

Poisoning because of lead paint is a serious issue. If you suspect a lead paint hazard in your home or business, please contact the Fire Prevention Bureau to learn about safe abatement procedures and complaint options. You can contact Fire Prevention via phone (707-778-4389), email ([email protected]) or in person at 22 Basset Street, adjacent to City Hall.

For more information about lead paint, go to the EPA’s web page on the topic.

Smoke nuisance complaints are handled by the Bay Area Air Quality Management Board (BAAQMD).

To find out whether your residence or business is located in a high fire hazard zone, review the City’s High Fire Hazard Severity Zone map.

Fill out and submit the Weed Abatement Complaint form online. Or download the paper form then submit to the Fire Prevention Bureau in person or by mail (22 Basset Street), or via email to [email protected].