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1. What other responsibilities do firefighters have other than fighting fires?

Firefighting actually represents a relatively small portion of the work of a typical fire department in today’s world. The number of residential and commercial fires has steadily decreased over the years due to a variety of factors including improvements in construction, a greater public awareness of the risk factors leading to fires and a significant reduction in smoking nationwide.

Fires, however, are only some of the emergencies to which the Del Mar Fire Department responds. Seventy percent of the Fire Department’s emergency responses are, in fact, calls for medical aid, including illness/accidents at home and work, injuries resulting from vehicle accidents and other medical trauma in Del Mar. Other calls for emergency response involve hazardous materials releases, response to fire alarms and other calls for public assistance.

Firefighters also spend quite a bit of time maintaining equipment, doing routine public safety inspections for businesses, training for all types of emergency responses and filling out the reports and paperwork associated with these activities.

2. Why does the Fire Department bring the fire engine just for a simple inspection?

Two reasons: First, these inspections are conducted by on-duty engine companies that must be ready to respond to an emergency call from the field. This is why you almost always see the personnel together as a crew and have the fire engine with them when they are out of the fire station. Second, an important part of the value of the public safety inspection is to familiarize your local firefighters with the buildings and business in Del Mar. While they check for hazards and consult with business owners on how best to eliminate or minimize the likelihood of a fire, they also familiarize themselves with access points and the layout of the facility.

3. Why did you chop that big hole in my roof? The fire was in the kitchen, not the attic!

During a fully involved structure fire, temperatures inside a structure are often 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. By cutting a hole in the roof and ventilating the building, the heat is allowed to escape through the roof thereby making it safer for firefighters to enter the building and apply water directly on the fire. This extinguishing strategy is key to stopping a structure fire quickly, and actually helps minimize damage to other rooms.

4. Why does the fire engine respond when a request is made for an ambulance for a person with a medical condition?

All Fire Department personnel are medically trained and will often arrive before an ambulance. Because the ambulance is not stationed at the Del Mar Fire Station, it usually takes longer to arrive on a medical scene. The firefighters will arrive and begin treatment immediately, often resulting in a better outcome for the patient. In a more complicated medical emergency, the Fire Department personnel will be needed to assist the two paramedics on the ambulance. Our Fire Department is committed to providing the highest level of care possible and this means getting the emergency responders on scene as quickly as possible.

5. When would be a good time to come to the fire station so my children can see the fire engines?

We encourage you to come by on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., but Del Mar residents are, of course, welcome at anytime. If you would like to schedule a time to come by the fire station, please call (858) 755-1522. The fire station is located at 2200 Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

6. Are smoke detectors needed in my new home?

Yes. Smoke detectors are required on every level and in every sleeping room. We recommend the same configuration for existing homes but it is not required by ordinance.

7. How often do I need to change the battery in my smoke detector?

We recommend that residents change the batteries in smoke detectors every six months. A good time to change the batteries is during the spring and fall time changes.

8. I want to re-roof my house. Is shake shingle roofing allowed?

Del Mar’s roof ordinance does not allow the use of any wood roofing materials for any replacement roof in the City. As a result, wood shake shingles are not allowed due to our climate and the rapid burn rate of this type of roofing material. The only exception to this rule is that a homeowner is allowed to replace up to 10% of his wood roofing on a one-time basis, if damage occurs.

9. Does Del Mar require fire sprinklers in homes?

Yes. In July of 2008, the City updated it's Fire Code to require automatic fire sprinklers in all new habitable structures. It also requires sprinklers in structures that:

Are remodeled in excess of 50% of the building’s valuation
Have limited Fire Department access
By square footage exceed the available fire flow required.

10. If there is a fire at my house, how many fire engines are going to arrive?

Based on our “automatic aid” agreements with neighboring jurisdictions, the standard response is five fire engines, a chief’s unit, an ambulance, and several Sheriff units. A standard operating procedure in the fire service is to err on the side of dispatching for a worst-case scenario.