Vacaville Firefighters Association Local 3501

03/30/2026

Tradition is important in the fire service - from leather helmets to Easter baskets
….yes, Easter baskets!🤣
For the last 14 years your Vacaville Firefighters and other volunteers have built Easter baskets for our community with the “Baskets of Hope” program.
Each year the program provides Easter baskets to Vacaville children with the help of local organizations.
Your Vacaville Firefighters and the VCFCF once again teamed up with volunteers to make it happen! Those volunteers included: Rotary, Sunrise Rotary, Soroptimist International Club. Other volunteers represented BBSI Vacaville, the Fathers House, and Kairos School students.
We all joined forces to put together over 350 baskets!!!
Over the weekend those baskets were delivered to The Vacaville Boys and Girls Club as well as the Knights of Columbus and St. Mary’s & St. Joesph’s Church’s.
The goal is for each basket to have a book, a coloring book, a small toy, crayons, a small stuffed animal, Easter eggs with candy and of a course chocolate bunny.
The VCFCF would like to thank Bounty Books for their donation which ensured each basket had a children’s book and the VFW Post 7244 for the use of their hall!
Finally, from the VCFCF family to your family -
Happy Easter!

03/10/2026

Industrial Accident – Hand Entrapment in Sheet Metal Roller.

Yesterday morning, crews from the Vacaville Fire Department responded to an industrial accident involving a worker whose hand became trapped in a sheet metal roller.

Battalion 71, Engine 73 and Medic 72 arrived within minutes and immediately began coordinating with on-site personnel to secure the machinery and prevent further injury.

Truck 74 was also requested in order to assist with more personnel and specialized rescue tools.

Working in coordination with workplace staff, crews were able to safely free the patient while working closely with paramedics to manage pain and prevent additional harm.

The individual was transported to a local trauma center for further evaluation and treatment.

Incidents like this highlight the importance of proper machine safety, lockout/tagout procedures, and quick reporting when accidents occur. We want to thank the workplace staff for their swift actions and cooperation during the rescue.

Our thoughts are with the injured worker, and we wish them a full and speedy recovery.

12/22/2025

We were able to successfully deliver thousands of toys to local kids during our annual Vacaville Firefighters Toy Drive. A tradition that has been going on for over 30 years saw another successful year benefitting those who need it most. We would like to thank the community for your generous donations and giving spirit. Because of you, so many get to experience a better Christmas.

12/21/2025

Join us in congratulating Fire Captain Chad Azevedo on his retirement! Chad has faithfully served the citizens of Vacaville since November of 1999. Prior to working in Vacaville Chad was also a firefighter for the Mt. View FPD and an Apparatus Engineer for Turlock Rural FD.
With Vacaville he achieved the rank of Captain in 2016, requested to be assigned to training and lead Academy 17-1. During his career here in Vacaville he was active in the Union. Chad served on the Executive Board as the Political Action Committee (PAC) lead from 2000 to 2007 helping build relationships in the community and keep our Union moving forward. He didn't stop in Vacaville as he was asked by CPF to help 4 other departments establish PACs.!
As firefighters mental health issues gained attention, Chad helped establish the first Peer Support Program for the fire department in an effort to assist his fellow firefighters when the need arose.
Once he completed his time in Training, Chad was assigned to Fire Station 71 on A-Shift and served the "88" until the day he retired.
We wish him the best in retirement and thank him for his years of service to Vacaville!

Today we tip our cap to Captain Chad Azevedo as he retires after serving the Vacaville Fire Department for 26 Years. Captain Azevedo is an all-around good guy who truly cared about people. Whether it was his crew or the citizens he came across, he strived to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Captain Azevedo was passionate about peer support and helping his colleagues through the mental aspect of the job. Always willing to have a deep conversation to make sure everyone was ok. Chad also left his mark on training where he served as the department’s training captain for a short time. Chad was instrumental in bridging the gap between the firefighters and elected officials through his work with the Vacaville Firefighters Association. Congratulations on your well earned retirement Chad! May all your lunches be served at 12pm and dinner at 5! Thank you for your 26 years of service!

12/19/2025

Join us in congratulating Firefighter Paramedic Rich Taliaferro on his retirement today! Rich faithfully served the citizens of Vacaville since August of 2001. Prior to working in Vacaville Rich was also a firefighter for the Marinwood Fire Department and the Presidio of San Francisco Fire Department for several years. We wish him the best in retirement and thank him for his years of service to Vacaville.

Today we bid a fond farewell to Firefighter/Paramedic Rich Taliaferro as he officially retires after 25 years of service with the Vacaville Fire Department. Rich was the ultimate teammate and an outstanding employee. He showed up each day with his head down, worked hard and rarely complained. He was an exceptional paramedic in our organization and truly enjoyed helping people. Rich always treated both coworkers and our citizens with the upmost respect. Thank you for your service Rich! Enjoy your well earned time with your family and all the adrenaline you can find in your thrill seeking activities. Congratulations on your retirement!

12/11/2025

Yesterday morning’s commute on West bound 80 near the Mason Street off ramp hit a snag due to a multi vehicle accident which included a vehicle roll over where the vehicle ended up on its side. As a result of the accident, the driver/patient involved in the rollover ended up in the back seat and was trapped.
Your Vacaville Firefighters extricated the driver in a coordinated effort with fire department resources on scene.
Those resources included Battalion 71, Truck 74, Engine 73 & Medic 73.
Crews stabilized the vehicle and proceeded to remove the roof using only Milwaukee Tool sawzalls in order to reach the patient.
The patient was safely extricated, assessed on scene amd transported to the ER.
In order to be prepare for such emergencies your Vacaville Firefighters have been training this last month on various vehicle stabilization scenarios ranging from simple (like this one) to more complex scenarios.
Local 3501 members strive to learn new skills and sharpen already possessed skills in order to serve the Vacaville Community when we are called to action.

12/02/2025

Recently Your Vacaville Firefighters Association Local 3501 came together with other city staff volunteers to complete the decoration of the Merriment on Main Christmas tree!
Since 1983 this has been a tradition that Local 3501 cherishes as a way for our families to come together and contribute to such an amazing event. In fact, this year we had a second generation Vacaville Firefighter follow in his father’s footsteps and decorate the tree in the same spot his father did when he was a Local 3501 member.
It's traditions like this and Merriment on Main that make this town of ours a special place.
The tree lighting celebration is Tuesday night with a start time of 5pm and the tree lighting at 6:30. We hope to see you there!

11/26/2025

The Vacaville Firefighters Toy Drive is BACK! On November 28th all fire stations will be accepting new and unwrapped toys for children up to age 14. We hope that you will be able to join us in making this Christmas a special one for children across Vacaville!

11/12/2025

Today we not only celebrate our countries veterans but also the Local 3501 members that served in the United States military and now serve the City of Vacaville.
Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and the Navy are the branches that past and present Vacaville Firefighters have proudly served in.
A uniform shirt was recently approved for our veterans to wear on duty with "Military Veteran" on the front and the back of the shirt. It is one small way we hope to honor the sacrifice they made prior to serving the Vacaville community.
Thank you to each of you that served in one of our military branches.

11/11/2025

11/11/2025

Your Vacaville Firefighters Local 3501 would like to thank everyone that came out this weekend to help raise money for the family of fallen Fairfield Fire Dept Engineer Chris Bell.
A special shout out to the Dixon Firefighters, Fairfield Firefighters and Winters Firefighters Associations along with Green River Brewery, and the California Co****le Association.
We look forward to seeing you all for this special fundraiser next year!

11/08/2025

We have called an audible and ALL proceeds from today’s Charity Co****le Tournament will go to the family of Fairfield Fire Dept Engineer Chris Bell’s family. Chris recently passed away from job related cancer and our event will be for him. It’s not too late to sign up if you haven’t already done so.