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About Us

Chipper crew turning cleared brush into mulchOur Mission

The Woodside-Portola Valley Fire Protection Foundation was founded in 2009 to augment the Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD) budget for up-to-date equipment, facilities, fire prevention and training. The Fire Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, will enable WFPD to provide the most advanced and efficient form of all-risk emergency response services.

Fire crew communicating with a Coast Guard chopperAbout the WPVFPF

The Woodside-Portola Valley Fire Protection Foundation was founded in 2009 to augment the Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD) budget for up-to-date equipment, facilities, fire pre-vention and training. The Fire Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, will enable WFPD to provide the most advanced and efficient form of emergency services.

Why a Foundation for WFPD?

Now in its ninth decade of operation, the Woodside Fire Protection District faces a growing challenge as it strives to deal with a significant decrease in government funding while keeping pace with new technology, equipment upgrades, increasedtraining requirements and a growing number of emergency incidents. Additional funds are critical.

A firefighter works a controlled burn in a grassy fieldMuch More Than a Fire Department 

Responding to over 4,700 incidents every year, our firefighters do much more today than ever before, responding not just to house fires, but also to medical calls, high-speed vehicle accidents, downed power lines, hazardous materials incidents, equine emergencies and natural disasters. WFPD provides a vital safety net forour residents both as a local and as a state-wide resource during large-scale incidents such as wildfires. They provide valuable education and services to the public through regular CPR, AED and First Aid classes, the Chipper Program for fire prevention and through Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training through its WPV-CERT and WPV-Ready programs.  As a result, the skills and the toolboxes of today’s firefighters are complex, requiring constant upgrades and improvements – all with a goal of maintaining an excellent level of expertise in response to incidents of all kinds. It’s no longer just fire. It’s all-risk emergency response.

Medics practicingNot Alone in Needing Your Help

Many organizations around the country are faced with balancing increasing costs and lower revenues. Increasingly, operations formerly funded by tax revenues are forced to find alternate sources of funds. Locally, public school districts have established non-profit fundraising foundations to bridge the gaps in their districts’ budgets. Our Foundation does this or WFPD by receiving and distributing tax-deductible contributions from private donors and from Federal and private grant programs. WFPD needs your help.