Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Overview

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, aka Metro Fire, serves a population of over 738,000 in a 358-square-mile service area. Metro Fire is the seventh largest fire agency in California. It is a combination of 16 smaller fire departments that, over the years, merged to create this special district. The last merger was in December 2000, when American River Fire Department and Sacramento County Fire Protection District merged to form the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. As a special district, Metro Fire is governed by a board of directors; each member is elected by the voters within a geographical area, or division, of Metro Fire’s operational area.

On any given day, there are 155 on-duty personnel to serve the district’s communities. Routine and emergency operations are managed by five battalion chiefs with oversight through an assistant chief assigned a 24-hour shift. Metro Fire is comprised of three branches: operations, administration, and support services.