Arcata Volunteer Firefighters' Association

05/09/2026

Multi agency mock Earthquake Drill.

Thank you to all our mutual aid agencies who participated and PG&E for doing an excellent job setting up the event. Many of them came from out of state to participate.

05/02/2026

It's safe to say Augie Therapy Dog loves visiting AFD! ❤️

03/23/2026

A very Happy Birthday to Arcata Fire Districts Captain Marcus Lillard!!!

03/07/2026

It can be easy to overlook your fire extinguishers when there’s so much else to manage. When you neglect fire extinguisher maintenance, though, you may be setting yourself up for some severe and potentially devastating consequences.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/3Tn5AyP

03/03/2026

Blue Lake Assistant Fire Chief Ed Jones experienced a medical issue recently. He is a very active member of the Blue Lake Volunteer Fire Department and has responded to our jurisdiction many times over the years. The BLVFD is hosting a fundraiser March 7th to help out with his costs. Please see the attached flyer and feel free to forward this to your contacts as well.

03/01/2026

At about 4:30 a.m. on 2/20/2026, units from the Arcata Fire District responded to a reported vehicle fire on the 7200 Block of West End Road in Arcata. The first arriving unit found a fully involved pick-up truck that appeared to have been burning for quite a while. Arcata Fire personnel attacked the fire and had it controlled in five minutes. The vehicle was determined to be a non-operating vehicle that had been abandoned earlier in the week. There were no injuries to personnel and no damage to nearby properties. The vehicle was a total loss.

02/03/2026

Here are the photos from yesterdays Hero Parade. To help with the devastating fire that took place in Arcata. It was extremely heartfelt and uplifting for the firefighters! The community response and support was amazing, Thank you!!! We are incredibly fortunate that we have such amazing mutual aid agencies. Everyone pulls together when needed!! To me they all deserve medals, but they'd say, " Just doing my job." Well that job is hard and taxing mentally and physically, they never stopped except to get quick Rehab and Decon which was provided by AFD's Volunteer Logistics Unit, The Red Cross and many kind individuals! It took a village and this village did It! ARCATA STRONG!!!!


















-9-1-1Therapydogs

02/03/2026

Arcata Fire Districts Captain Alex Menounos and Engineer Chris Appleton trained with Cal Fires Captain John Busher (who it was really special to see again. He used to work at AFD, and always nice to see that smile.) Along with Firefighters Acklett GoForth, and Jonathon Hoppis training for vehicle extrication.
Ever wonder what firefighters are doing when you see an accident?
This is a very short condensed explanation.
Vehicle extrication is a highly technical, high-stakes discipline where firefighters train to dismantle a vehicle around a trapped patient, treating them within a one-hour "golden hour" window. This process requires precise, disciplined skills to stabilize unstable cars and utilize hydraulic tools to cut or bend metal without causing further injury to the victim. Hopefully the pictures show a little of how extremely hard and dangerous it can be.

01/25/2026

01/05/2026