The primary mission of the Merced County Fire Department is to provide a range of programs aimed at protecting the lives and property of the people in Merced County from the adverse effects of fires, medical emergencies, exposure to hazardous materials, or other dangerous conditions as an All Risk emergency response agency. These programs include comprehensive fire protection planning, fire suppression, emergency medical response, rescue, hazardous materials response and mitigation, fire prevention &education, fire law and code enforcement.
The Merced County Fire Department provides first responder level Emergency Medical Services, including rescue and extrication, as well as control and mitigation of hazardous materials emergency incidents. Merced County Fire Department provides mutual and automatic aid to cooperating local agencies and participates in the statewide fire and rescue mutual aid system. In addition, the Merced County Office of Emergency Services provides assistance and support for fire and non-fire emergencies such as floods, earthquakes, extreme weather events and other disasters.