The Monterey County Regional Fire District was formed in 1934 on a vote of 87 citizens in favor and 42 opposed. The original boundaries surrounded the City of Salinas and ran down River Road to Pine Canyon. Over the years, annexations into the District have increased its service area to approximately 400 square miles with a population of about 40,000 residents. A five-member Board of Directors governs the Fire District. The Board of Supervisors appoints our directors. The District operates as an independent governmental entity under the California Health and Safety Code, Section 13800.

The Administrative office is located at 19900 Portola Drive in the Toro Park area. The Fire Chief, Chief Officers, Deputy Fire Marshal, Human Resource Officer, Financial Officer, Fire Prevention Specialist, and  Office Administrator are located there.

The Fire District staffs seven fire stations and administrative offices with 70 employees.

Since the early 1980's, the Monterey County Regional Fire District has contracted with the City of Salinas to provide fire and emergency medical services to approximately 35 square miles of the northern corner of the district. The communities of Bolsa Knolls and Boronda and the area along Old Stage Road to and including Williams Road are included in the "Contract Area."

Monterey County Regional Fire District responds to structure, wildland, vehicle, and other types of fires that occur in the District. Public service calls, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents and hazardous material responses are also part of the jobs we do. We provide ambulance service to the Carmel Valley Region as allowed by the Health & Safety code 1797.201.

All of our engines carry a full complement of ALS medical and rescue equipment. This equipment includes the "Jaws of Life" and a semi-automatic defibrillator, which is used to attempt to shock the heart back into a proper beating rhythm. All our personnel are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) or Paramedics who can provide advanced medical skills such as IV’s, airway management, and medication administration.

The Monterey County Regional Fire District is part of the Monterey County Fire Service Mutual Aid system, and we provide and receive assistance when emergency situations cannot be handled by our resources. For example, our normal response to a structure fire includes the three closest on-duty engines, a chief officer and (2) water tenders. Off-duty personnel also respond. If help from our neighboring departments is needed, fire engines from agencies closest to the incident will be dispatched.

We operate by Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Operations Plans. For example, we worked with the Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, County Parks, the Emergency Medical Services Agency, County Office of Emergency Services in formalizing an Emergency Operations Plan for the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. That plan formalizes in writing, what these agencies will do in terms of covering major events at Laguna Seca from an emergency service standpoint.