Petrolia Volunteer Fire Department, 98 Sherman Avenue, Petrolia, CA (2026)

09/16/2026

❤️ Three New AEDs for Petrolia Fire!

A huge thank you to Via Heart Project for donating three new AEDs to Petrolia Volunteer Fire Department!

With these new units, every responding Petrolia Fire apparatus now carries an AED, giving our firefighters immediate access to this lifesaving equipment wherever we respond. We also now have an AED accessible to the public outside the Petrolia Fire Department in downtown Petrolia.

In a rural community where additional medical resources can be a long way away, having AEDs readily available is incredibly important. This donation is another big step forward for Petrolia Fire’s medical response capabilities.

We are incredibly grateful to Via Heart Project for helping us get to this point and for the work they do to get lifesaving equipment into communities that need it.

If you’d like to support Via Heart Project and help them continue this work, you can donate through their website: viaheartproject.org

Thank you, Via Heart Project, for supporting Petrolia! ❤️

09/16/2026

🔥 HELP US RAISE $20,000 FOR PETROLIA FIRE 🔥

Petrolia Fire is an underfunded, all volunteer fire department serving one of the most remote areas of Humboldt County.

Over the last year, we’ve worked hard to expand what our department can do. From medical calls, wildland fires and rescues along the Lost Coast to covering CAL FIRE’s Mattole Station and sending our firefighters out on strike team assignments, our responsibilities continue to grow.

Now we’re asking for some help.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 for PPE, radios and pagers, medical and rescue equipment, training, apparatus needs and the equipment our firefighters need for extended assignments.

400 people giving $50 gets us there. Every donation, no matter the amount, helps keep our firefighters equipped and our apparatus ready.

If you live here, have visited the Lost Coast, hike our trails or simply want to support a small rural volunteer fire department, we’d be incredibly grateful for your help.

🚒 Goal: $20,000

Donate through the donation button at http://www.petroliafire.org, and please share to help us reach beyond the Mattole Valley.

Thank you for continuing to support Petrolia Fire.

09/14/2026

🔥 VEGETATION FIRE IN HONEYDEW 🔥

On September 13 at approximately 5:30 p.m., Petrolia Fire was dispatched to a vegetation fire in Honeydew alongside Honeydew Fire and a large response from CAL FIRE.

Responding resources included CAL FIRE Air Attack 120, Copter 604, Tanker 100, Chinook Copter 85PJ, Battalion 1211, Engine 1251, Engine 1282, Engine 1294, Dozer 1243, Eel River Crew 1, High Rock Crew 1, Honeydew Water Tender 6565, Petrolia Fire Chief 6600, Engine 6646, and Water Tender 6664.

CAL FIRE Engine 1294 was first at scene and immediately went to work with an aggressive mobile attack, hitting the fire hard and slowing its progression. That initial work provided valuable time for additional firefighters and resources to arrive and get into position.

As more crews arrived, the attack quickly built from there. Firefighters went straight to work cutting handline and putting in hose lay around the fire while Copter 604 and Chinook Copter 85PJ worked overhead, hammering the areas that needed it with water drops.

The goal was simple: stop it before it had a chance to run.

And that is exactly what happened.

The combination of an aggressive mobile attack, firefighters working the ground, and aircraft overhead stopped the forward progression at approximately two acres. Crews then transitioned into mop up, working the fire until it was put to sleep.

This fire had the potential to get bad really quick. Instead, a fast response and an incredible amount of coordination kept it small.

What happened on this fire is exactly why all the training and time spent working together matters. Departments and crews throughout Southern Humboldt have trained together, responded together, and built relationships that make a difference when the real thing happens. Everyone came together, knew what needed to be done, and went to work.

That is what Southern Humboldt is capable of.

A huge thank you to every firefighter, pilot, crew member, equipment operator, and agency involved in this response. Because of their work, a vegetation fire that had the potential to become something much larger was stopped at two acres.

Outstanding work by everyone involved.

09/03/2026

🔥 PLASKETT FIRE | STRIKE TEAM 2076C 🔥

Strike Team 2076C is currently assigned to the Plaskett Fire, bringing together Shelter Cove Fire, Salmon Creek Fire, Myers Flat Fire, Briceland Fire, and Redway Fire, with members of Petrolia Fire joining the assignment alongside Myers Flat.

The amount of experience, training, teamwork, and community that comes together on these assignments is so important. Our Southern Humboldt departments train together, respond together, and now we’re seeing more and more of our firefighters working side by side on major incidents throughout California.

Being deep in the wilderness on a large fire means rough terrain, limited access, long operational periods, and constantly changing conditions. You rely on your training, your crew, and the firefighters working beside you.

That experience doesn’t just stay on the fire. Our firefighters bring it home with them, making every one of our departments and our entire Southern Humboldt fire community stronger.

Stay safe out there, Strike Team 2076C! We’re proud of y’all! 🔥🌲💪

08/30/2026

🔥 One Week on the Timber Fire 🔥

Petrolia Fire has officially been deployed to the Timber Fire for a week, and we couldn’t be more excited and proud of Ryan, Addison, Mander, and Ian from Honeydew Fire, who is serving as our engine boss. They’ve been working in Division Foxtrot alongside the rest of their strike team, focusing mostly on structure protection and roadside containment.

For the past three nights, the crew has been assigned to Apple Pie Road, protecting homes and families in an area where the rough dirt roads can be challenging for larger engines. Luckily, rough roads are something our Southern Humboldt firefighters know pretty well.

The families there have started calling the crew “their firefighters.” Many have deep roots on that land, and our firefighters understand just how much a home and a piece of property can mean when generations of memories are tied to it.

Sometimes structure protection means working all night, watching the hills and being ready for a fire you hope never arrives. If simply having our engine there gives these families enough peace of mind to get some sleep, we’re proud to be there.

And if that fire does come, our crew is ready to safely do everything they can to protect what matters.

We couldn’t be more proud of our firefighters and the entire strike team representing Southern Humboldt. ❤️🔥🚒

08/24/2026

🔥 PETROLIA FIRE IS HEADED OUT ON OUR FIRST STRIKE TEAM! 🔥

This is a HUGE moment for Petrolia Fire!

For the past couple of years, we’ve been talking about getting our department to the point where we could take part in assignments like this. This year we finally got the opportunity to provide ABH coverage, and now we have one of our own engines heading out as part of Strike Team XHU-2075F.

The strike team is made up of five Type 6 engines from Southern Humboldt, headed to Big Sur to assist with the Timber Fire.

🚒 STRIKE TEAM XHU-2075F

Palo Verde VFD
Engine 5248

Whitethorn Fire Protection District
Engine 5347

Briceland Fire
Engine 5446

Telegraph Ridge Fire Protection District
Engine 5546

Petrolia Fire Protection District
Engine 6646

Seeing Engine 6646 rolling out on Petrolia Fire’s first strike team is something we are incredibly proud of. This is a huge accomplishment for our department and another opportunity for our firefighters to gain experience, work alongside our Southern Humboldt partners, and bring that experience home with them.

It’s pretty awesome to see Ian Sigman heading out as the Engine Boss on Engine 6646 for Petrolia Fire’s first strike team assignment. We’re also incredibly grateful for the collaboration with Honeydew Fire that helped make it possible for us to get our engine and crew out on this assignment. This kind of teamwork is a huge part of making Southern Humboldt fire departments stronger together.

A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to make opportunities like this possible. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has put in the time, done the paperwork, built the relationships, organized the logistics, and kept pushing to get this program up and running. There are a lot of people who helped make this happen, and we appreciate every one of you.

We want to wish everyone on XHU-2075F safe travels, safe work, and a safe return home.

We are so proud of all of you. Go get it, y’all! 🔥🚒💪

PETROLIA FIRE IS ON A STRIKE TEAM! ❤️‍🔥

08/16/2026

Yesterday marked the final day of Petrolia Fire’s move up and cover assignment, and right before CAL FIRE Engine 1282 arrived, the crew got one more call.

Engine 6636 and Petrolia Fire Rescue 6674 were dispatched to a report of an injured person alongside City Ambulance, CAL FIRE Copter 604, and REACH 18.

Upon arrival, our crew assessed the patient, got him loaded into Rescue 6674, and transported him to the landing zone where Copter 604 and REACH 18 were waiting. Paramedics joined our responders in the rescue, continued assessing and preparing the patient for transport, and ultimately made the decision to fly him out on REACH 18.

City Ambulance arrived at the landing zone and worked alongside the helitack crew and everyone on scene to safely transfer the patient onto REACH 18. Once the helicopter departed, all resources were released and returned to their respective departments.

Shortly afterward, Engine 6636 was ordered to return home, officially completing Petrolia Fire’s move up and cover assignment.

We are incredibly thankful for everyone who helped make this assignment possible and for all the coordination that went into keeping coverage in place. We are also grateful for the continued partnership between our local responders, CAL FIRE, REACH, and City Ambulance. Living where we do means getting someone from our valley to a higher level of care can take a whole team, and watching everyone work together so smoothly is something we never take for granted.

It is pretty incredible to look at how far Petrolia Fire has come. Our firefighters continue to gain experience, build confidence, strengthen relationships with the people we work alongside, and bring all of that back home to Petrolia. Every opportunity we are given makes our department stronger and better prepared for whatever comes next.

We are proud of where we are, proud of our people, and incredibly excited about where Petrolia Fire is headed next. The future is looking pretty bright. ❤️‍🔥🚒

08/14/2026

Today, while Petrolia Fire Engine 6636 was out training on rope rescue and technical rescue skills, our crew was dispatched to a sick person in Petrolia.

Upon arrival, Petrolia Fire Rescue 6674 was already on scene. Engine 6636 assumed command and took over patient care. After assessing and stabilizing the patient, our crew loaded them into Rescue 6674 and transported them to a landing zone in downtown Petrolia to meet CAL FIRE Copter 604.

When we arrived at the landing zone, Copter 604 was already on the ground and waiting. The patient was unloaded from Rescue 6674, transferred to the helicopter, and Copter 604 lifted off.

As the helicopter was departing, City Ambulance was arriving in downtown Petrolia. Copter 604 circled back and landed again, allowing a City Ambulance paramedic to board the helicopter and accompany the patient during transport to the hospital.

Once the patient and paramedic were safely aboard, Copter 604 departed for the hospital. All remaining resources were cleared and returned to their respective locations.

In a rural and remote community like ours, getting someone to a higher level of medical care can take coordination between ground crews, ambulances, fire departments, and aircraft. Today was a great example of everyone working together and adapting quickly to get the patient where they needed to go.

Thank you to CAL FIRE Copter 604 and City Ambulance for another great coordinated response, and to our Petrolia Fire crews who went from technical rescue training straight into patient care. 🚒🚑🚁

08/14/2026

Since August 3rd, Petrolia Fire and Honeydew Fire have been working together on ABH move up and cover assignments at CAL FIRE’s Mattole Station, and it has been an incredible opportunity for both departments. 🚒🔥

For Petrolia Fire, this is a first. Many of our firefighters have had the chance to participate, gaining valuable experience, learning new skills, and building even stronger relationships with the departments we rely on through mutual aid. ❤️

This is also part of something much bigger happening across Southern Humboldt. With departments joining together through the Southern Humboldt Joint Powers Agreement, volunteer firefighters throughout our area are stepping into opportunities that weren’t always available to small rural departments. Strike teams, task forces, ABH coverage, OES assignments, and other statewide resources are becoming part of what we can contribute. 🚒💪

That is a huge shift for volunteer fire in Southern Humboldt. 🔥

Our departments are not only protecting our own communities. Our firefighters are gaining the training and experience to travel throughout California and help protect residents during fires, medical emergencies, and other incidents where additional resources are needed. 🌲🚒

We are incredibly proud to be part of it. ❤️

Petrolia Fire looks forward to continuing this work, continuing to learn, and strengthening the culture of mutual aid and togetherness that makes the fire service in Southern Humboldt so special. 🤝🔥

A huge thank you to Honeydew Fire, CAL FIRE, our fellow mutual aid departments, and every firefighter who has stepped up to participate. We’re excited about where this is going and what it means for the future of volunteer fire in our area. ❤️🚒

If you would like to help Petrolia Fire continue to grow, train, equip our firefighters, and take advantage of opportunities like this, please consider making a donation. Every donation, large or small, directly supports our volunteer department and the work our firefighters are doing. ❤️

Visit petroliafire.org and hit the Donate button. Your support truly helps keep Petrolia Fire moving forward. 🚒🔥❤️

Petrolia Volunteer Fire Department

09/16/2026

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