Latest News

https://rsf-firefoundation.org/donations/

We kindly ask for your support of our Fire Foundation, which funds vital community events and provides ongoing financial and resource support. Your generosity directly impacts our ability to serve and strengthen the community. Any contribution is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your consideration

http://www.rsf-fire.org

The Local 4349 Rancho Santa Fe Firefighters honored a fallen brother today during the 2nd Annual Dale Mosby Golf Tournament at the gracious invitation of the Del Mar Country Club.  

It is often said that firefighters are a “Jack of all trades.”  The truth of that is both evident on scene of an emergency as it is around the firehouse.  Each person we hire bring a certain unique skill to add to the district’s diverse abilities.  When responding to an emergency, the first person on scene has a myriad of responsibilities as outlined in command and structure requirements.  That person assumes the role of a Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Rescue Supervisor, and Company Officer.  We in the business call these “hats.”  While we wear a lot of hats at work, we also wear a lot of hats at home.  The typical firefighter also fills the roll at home of the gardener, pool boy, plumber, electrician, landscaper, and builder to name a few.  Those skills, usually obtained by self-taught tenacity, play a huge roll in keeping our fire stations and equipment in top notch.  The tax payer receives full benefit from idle firefighters when they take on station projects.  Here, members of the Local 4349 work on restoration of the weathered and dated outdoor grilling area at Rancho Santa Fe Station #4.  Engineer Sean Canfield and Firefighter Richard LaFleur put their skills to work fixing what often would require additional costs of specified labor, ultimately saving the District, and the tax payer, funds which speaks of the District’s financial accountability.  Bravo 4349!

On January 20th 2021, the Local 4349 lost a great man.  Last Saturday, Local members had the privilege of attending the California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony, hear his name called, and see his name etched forever into the memorial wall.  Chris Mertz will be forever remembered. 

November 16^th marks the 1 year anniversary of the passing of our friend and colleague, Dale Mosby.  To mark the occasion, the Rancho Santa Fe Firefighters kicked off the 1^st Annual Mosby Memorial Golf Tournament at the Del Mar Country Club.  Nearly half of the Local 4349 members showed up to play golf and pay respect to a great man.  While the hurt still remains from this huge loss, some joy was had by the raising of $4500 by the participants and donors to go to the Firefighter Aid Fund that was instrumental in their help during this crisis last year.  Dale will be forever in our hearts and never be forgotten.

While driving by the Cielo fire station in Rancho Santa Fe, one might wonder if the station’s newest Brush Engine is having an identity crisis.  Actually, the Ranch has had two recent acquisitions of brush engines.  While both of them have very similar functions, one was purchased by RSF Fire (the red one) and the other by the State of California (the lime-green one).  Through California’s Office of Emergency Services, structure and brush engines are purchased and loaned out to agencies up and down the state to be used for free.  The only hitch is that when the CalOES calls for it to respond to a State Emergency, we have to staff it with 4 firefighter’s and send it to the incident.  They are typically dispatched to large scale wildfires that ravage our state every June – October, but can also be pushed into service following an earthquake, flood, or any other disaster.  As of this date, the State’s OES Engine 6903 has been fighting its very first battle with a wildfire in Northern California and Oregon. 

The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District and Rancho Santa Fe Professional Firefighters Local 4349, are heartbroken to make notification of the loss of one of our own. Fire Captain W. Chris Mertz, a 30-year veteran of the Rancho Santa Fe Protection Fire District, passed away on January 20, 2021 from complications of COVID-19. Chris was 54 years old and worked at RSF Fire Station 5 in Harmony Grove Village.

Chris, not only had a distinguished career here at Rancho Santa Fe, but early in life worked for Federal Fire Department - San Diego and the United States Forest Service. During his time with the Forest Service, Chris served on the Laguna Hot Shots – an elite hand crew based out of the Descanso Ranger District. Chris was still active and one of the original members of San Diego Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force 8. He was a responder to the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 and to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Chris was a member of the CSA Pipes and drums band and was an active member of IAFF Local 4349.

Our hearts go out to Chris’s family; he is survived by his wife Canli, his son Garrett, who is also a firefighter with Cal-FIRE San Diego, and his two daughters, Natalie and Roxanne, both who are proudly serving our Country in the United States Air Force. Chris and his family are the epitome of the American ideal - people who love their country and committed their lives to serving their fellow citizens. Captain Mertz will receive full Line of Duty Death Honors. Donations in memory of Captain Mertz may be sent to the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Foundation https://rsf-firefoundation.org/. For further information, you can contact the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District.

As a member of the Local 4349, it is with a heavy heart and deep felt regret, that we announce the passing of one of our beloved brothers, Captain Dale Edward Mosby, on November 16^th, 2020.  Although our hearts may be broken, our spirits remain strong.  Strong to support his family forced to carry on in their sorrow; strong to maintain the legacy that he created through personal connections; strong to continue the work in which we were each called to do by emulating the core values that Dale cherished so much.

Dale possessed a strong sense of duty by responding to calls for service that most would flee from.  His pride for this organization was seen in his dedication to training, embracing innovation, and dutifully managing his responsibilities.  Dale offered his unique skillset contributing to the District’s goal of providing a high level of service as part of the team.  Having worked together to achieve those shared goals, he had gained the appreciation of his peers, many of which benefitted from his leadership which exhibited competence, integrity, and professionalism.

As the final alarm bell sounds honoring Dale’s life, may it reverberate the remembrance of a revered brother of the badge, a dear friend and colleague, and a husband and father.  May we never forget the fallen and continue to celebrate his life and honor his service.