ABOUT US

Supporting our heroes by providing them the tools and technology they need to protect the City of San Diego and its residents is our mission. The San Diego Fire Rescue Foundation was created in 2006 to provide unbudgeted and discretionary support for the men and women of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Our goal is to support the Department in its efforts to provide an enhanced level of service to the community by helping to supply the highest level of technology, equipment, tools and training that would not otherwise be made available to them through the City's budget process.

While you may not have considered the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department as a recipient of your charitable giving, these men and women are on guard around the clock responding in minutes to virtually every kind of request for help. Every day they positively touch the lives of many of your neighbors. They may have even helped you at one time.

Each year the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responds to thousands of fires, water related and technical rescues, and calls for emergency medical assistance. Whether it's a fire, a child missing in the surf, a victim trapped in a car accident, or an unconscious family member, these incidents are unpredictable and hazardous. The successful resolution of the hundreds of incidents that occur daily in the San Diego area requires the skillfully choreographed actions of dedicated professionals. In order to leverage the skills of our first responders to the greatest extent, they need to be equipped with the most effective life saving tools, equipment and technology.

How We Work

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation works closely with the Fire-Rescue Department to identify tools, equipment and technology that have already been researched and approved by the Department. Even though these types of items have been deemed as appropriate and effective, however, the City of San Diego is unable to fund them because they are usually considered an enhancement of service. Unfortunately, the City is typically unable to offer any enhancements of service or improvements to existing technology due to budgetary constraints. The Foundation seeks to rectify that situation by providing the means to introduce or improve tools, equipment and technology that will enable our fire fighters, lifeguards and paramedics to perform their tasks more safely, effectively and efficiently.

Below are some brief examples of what the San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation seeks to provide with your tax deductible donation:

HANDHELD THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS
These lightweight devices allow fire fighters to view their surroundings in the infrared spectrum. Instead of employing visible light, images are displayed on a screen on the basis of their heat signature and contrast in temperature with their surroundings. Such devices provide a means to visualize people, objects and other heat sources in situations virtually invisible to the naked eye.

TWELVE-LEAD ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS
These devices allow a skilled paramedic to obtain a three dimensional picture of the electrical activity of the heart. The results obtained can be transmitted electronically via radio to a physician at a hospital. The diagnosis obtained by employing the EKG in the ambulance will be used to make critical life-saving decisions in a more timely manner to enhance patient care.

SIDE SCANNING SONAR
When victims disappear below the surface of the water, lifeguards have only minutes to find them if resuscitation efforts are to be successful. The side scanning sonar can be towed behind a surf rescue vessel and displays a graphic image of the water several meters wide that can identify objects below the surface in any type of weather, night or day.

VEHICLE STABILIZATION JACKS
When rescue units arrive at the scene of overturned or unstable vehicles, they must first secure the vehicle to prevent it from moving before they can extricate the victims trapped inside. Vehicle stabilization jacks are low tech devices that rapidly and securely allow one or two rescue personnel to immobilize a vehicle and can greatly reduce the time it takes to remove the victims and provide an improved margin of safety for the rescuers.