Read more in Department Overview.

Free Smoke Detectors For Elderly, Disabled And Low-Income Residents With support from Home Depot, the City's Fire Department offers free smoke detectors to elderly, disabled, and low-income El Cerrito and Kensington residents.The department's goal is to have a working smoke detector in every home.
For more information call the Fire Department at 215-4450 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In Memory of Dave Garrett
Fire Engineer David Garrett passed away in March of 2009. A twenty year veteran of the ECFD, Dave was known and loved by all for his good humor, fantastic cooking and larger than life presence.

The family has established the Tiaira Garrett Education Trust to support his daughter. To contribute to trust fund, please visit or send donations to:
Mechanics Bank
9996 San Pablo Avenue,
El Cerrito, CA 94530

You will learn to be prepared and to respond in an earthquake, wildfire, or other disaster in the comprehensive CERT Training Course (formerly known as the NEAT program). Prepare yourself with the skills to put out a fire, rescue a trapped victim, perform medical triage, and more. This course could save your life, and its free. read more

Many properties in El Cerrito are in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone including those near large wildland areas containing steep slopes and naturally growing trees, brush and grasses. See the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones Map for El Cerrito. (PDF, 2432Kb)
Map provided by Cal-Fire.

Do you have a Defensible Space?
Maintaining a defensible space can dramatically increase the chance of your home surviving a wildfire. Download information about Defensible Space. This flyer from Cal-Fire tells you about the simple steps you should take to dramatically increase the chance of your home surviving a wildfire.

The El Cerrito/Kensington Fire Department offers CPR/Basic First Aid classes. Space is limited & registration is required. For dates and details, download the 2009 CPR schedule (PDF)

A tradition for more than 20 years, the El Cerrito/Kensington and Albany Fire Departments’ annual Tri-City Safety Day was another success! To see photos from the 2008 Tri-City Safety Day, go to the Fire Department Photo Gallery

See more pictures of the El Cerrito Fire Department in action in our photo gallery.