The Wheeler Crest Fire Protection District is an all volunteer department, chartered by Mono County and under the guidance of the state of California’s fire department, Cal Fire. The department was founded in 1982 and is supported, in part, by parcel assessments paid by all property owners. Our primary areas of responsibility are the Communities of Swall Meadows and Paradise, and the stretch of 395 between the two entrances to Lower Rock Creek Road (Old 395) an area of 21 square miles. The department has mutual aid agreements with all of the local fire departments in Inyo and Mono Counties, as well as the adjacent state and federal public lands managers.
The department includes a chief, several officers and engineers and three certified EMTs. Oversight is provided by an elected, 5-member board of directors. The Board of Directors oversees all policy and financial matters, and serves under Mono County appointment. No property taxes support WCFPD; the bulk of its funding is derived from a voter-approved special assessment. Additional, but annually variable, funding is derived from private donations and community-driven fund raisers (neighborhood gatherings, rummage and bake sales, etc.). Firefighters train weekly, and there are additional weekend training exercises, such as MCIs, conducted with nearby departments and emergency medical personnel. All volunteers are FF 2s and we conduct periodic fire academies to recruit members for WCFPD as well as for the nearby community of Paradise Camp. The department operates two Type 1 engines, and two Type 1 water tenders .
The WCFPD is the first responder for Swall Meadows for fire and medical emergencies. Additional resources are called in from local volunteer departments if an emergency (usually a fire, but it may be other natural disasters such as an avalanche) grows. Additional available resources include, Cal Fire and the Inyo National Forest.
The Mono County Sherriff’s Department is the Office of Emergency Services (OES). OES is responsible for managing evacuation orders. https://monosheriff.org/sheriff/page/emergency-services In the event of a serious emergency, they will typically broadcast an evacuation warning first. If the threat continues to grow OES will order total evacuation. The regional alert system is called ReadyMono (there is no reverse 911 in Mono County). ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS NEED TO REGISTER WITH ReadyMono for critical emergency information. The link is here:
A few other odds and ends
- The Fire Station has an emergency siren mounted on the roof. It is triggered by the Sherriff’s office in the event of an emergency or 911 call . It will continue to sound until someone turns it off at the fire station. The cause could be a medical or fire emergency in the community, or an accident out on 395.
- You can identify many callouts by downloading any number of free emergency radio apps to your phone.
- The Wheeler Crest Fire Protection District is closely aligned with the Paradise Fire District 4.5 miles to the south. https://www.paradisefire.net/ . The two departments frequently train together and share resources.
Wheeler Crest Fire Protection District 