Crime & Safety
Menlo Park Fire Force Growing In Numbers
The Fire Protection District is at full staffing now, with 94 firefighters, engineers and captains.
MENLO PARK, CA -- For the first time in five years, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District is at full staffing, with 94 firefighters, engineers and captains working, the department's chief said Sunday.
Thirty-six of those positions have been added during the past five years, according to department Chief Harold Schapelhouman. That number could rise to 97 in the near future, he added.
Of those 94 "front line" personnel, 52 are paramedics, which is increasingly important as responses to vehicle accidents and other medical emergencies increase, Schapelhouman said.
Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The department has also rebuilt its Station 2 in East Palo Alto, and is in the process of rebuilding its Station 6 in downtown Menlo Park. The district provides fire protection for Atherton, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, several areas of unincorporated San Mateo County and, by contract, the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park.
--Bay City News/Image via Shutterstock
