Read stories about local fire chiefs, the physical and mental challenges firefighters face, the training involved in fire service work and more.
The 17 fire protection districts and departments that cover Jefferson County and the city of Eureka vary widely in the size of the areas they cover, the number of people they employ and their annual budgets.
Each of the 17 agencies that provide fire protection services in Jefferson County and Eureka has a chief who oversees its day-to-day operations.
There is more to a firefighter’s day than rushing to emergency calls.
Firefighters often put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.
On-duty firefighters never know what call will come in, so they must stay ready to spring into action at any moment.
Jefferson County and Eureka fire districts and departments face two main challenges to provide the emergency services we rely on – covering ever-rising costs and recruiting and retaining qualified personnel, according to the chiefs who lead those agencies.
Local firefighting agencies are reminding everyone to celebrate safely this holiday season.
Leader series are composed of stories that share a theme and offer in-depth coverage of topics relevant to our local readers. Your Support Local Journalism donations helped fund reporting for these series. You can help fund important stories for the future by visiting myleaderpaper.com/donate.

