Fort Ross Volunteer Fire Department

To report a fire or other emergency, call 911

From a cell phone, call Sonoma County Dispatch directly:
(707) 576-1371

In either case, be prepared to give specific information about your location, more than the address. For example, Ms. Smith would say, “I am located on Niestrath Road, it’s the Smith Ranch.” Insist that the dispatcher relay this information to the fire department. (Learn why in our questionnaire.)

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Ready for the Worst

Dedicated members of the Fort Ross Volunteer Fire Department are our community's first responders to medical emergencies, accidents, wildfires, even downed trees across the road. We also work to organize local folks to be ready, resilient, and strong in the face of inevitable natural disasters.

We live in an "exciting" part of California — we can shake, we can bake, and when the rain does not stop, our roads can slip away and big trees topple. Life-changing wildfires, storms, and earthquakes can't be predicted, but preparing now will help us all make it through.

FRVFD needs your participation. When you live out here, disaster prep is a lifestyle. Every resident must take responsibility to do their part. We can't do it for you, only with you.

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 Download our Wildfire Evacuation Checklist —
print it out and keep it handy.

Our downloadable Resources List has information on getting emergency alerts, hardening your home, creating defensible space, and preparing to live with wildfire.

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Read the Fort Ross Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)

A series of community meetings, and a lot of hard work by a core committee, have resulted in our own CWPP. Download it here. This is an in-depth report about our specific area with its distinct issues and challenges. Includes fascinating maps, evaluations of fire conditions, local fire history, and prioritized community projects. A must read! Check out the risk assessment tool for your own home: where are you most vulnerable? Next, study "Creating Wildfire Adapted Homes and Landscapes," along with our own Fire Prep page, for ways to fix those vulnerabilities. Preparation is key.

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General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)
Neighborhood Emergency Radio Network

UPDATE for the GMRS Network:

August, 2021: A special request to all who have gotten their licenses and radios: please participate by checking-in to every Tuesday's 6 pm GMRS NetControl; consider taking a turn at being the NetControl. A prepared script is supplied each week by email along with the roll call list of members. Each Tuesday is an opportunity to become more comfortable using the radio.

What's GMRS?

We invite the Fort Ross and Timbercove communities to join our newly established GMRS Neighborhood Emergency Radio Network. Our Fort Ross and Timbercove VFDs and knowledgeable volunteers have installed GMRS repeater antennas at the Fort Ross Station 1, Timbercove Fire Station, and on Muniz Ranch for use as an emergency radio link that can reach our wider community. This is an important tool to help ensure communications during an emergency when power, internet, and telephone systems are unavailable over potentially long periods of time. Such a system allows information sharing, emergency coordination, and an additional method to call for help in times of crisis, all of which are critical in an area like ours. (During non-emergencies the GMRS radio can be used for normal communications with your family.)

Acquiring a license and learning how to use GMRS radios will take a bit of time and patience. Do it NOW — before fire season is the time to get ready. Follow the steps below. Our group schedules regular check-ins for practice sessions and to ensure radios are functioning properly during times of crisis.

Step 1: Get Your License

GMRS is a licensed Personal Radio Service. Users must obtain a license and call sign from the FCC in order to operate a GMRS radio device. The license costs $70 for 10 years and covers the licensee and their immediate household. Please follow the steps here: forums.mygmrs.com/topic/1240-how-to-get-a-gmrs-license.

Step 2: Purchase Your Radio and Get it Programmed

Some may need to purchase a radio capable of 50 watts transmission power, while others will be able to get by with a 5-watt hand-held walkie talkie. Which radio you need depends on the propagation of the radio signals at your residence that allow your radio to connect with the repeaters at Fort Ross and Timber Cove fire stations, or at Muniz Ranch. Alan, 847-3623 ftrvfdguy@gmail.com, and Dave, 847-3121 daveh956@icloud.com, are available to help determine your transmission and reception needs. Once that is known, you can then purchase the right radio. Alan or Dave can program your radio and help with installation if needed.

Step 3: Register with the GMRS Coordinator

Once you receive your license, which includes your call sign from the FCC, please register with our GMRS coordinator, Nancy Feehan, 847-3369 nancyfeehan@gmail.com. She will add you to the list and email the procedures for emergency use of our network.

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Community News

July, 2021: One of the big challenges of our community is that we live amid dense, dry, dangerously overgrown forest and brush. Over the last few months, a group of neighbors on the Gualala and Seaview ranches applied their skills and sweat to our labyrinthine local roads, working to improve evacuation access and safety, as well as make it easier for fire trucks to get around. They didn't wait for help from the county or state, they just did it. And they made it fun! How inspiring! Local artist Gretchen Butler shows us how at gretchenbutlerwildart.com. Below, our youngest volunteer, Karim, chips in.

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