Novato Fire Protection District

Congratulations to Max on completing his EMS internship with Novato Fire District!

Max’s journey with us started at just 15 years old as an Explorer. Since then, he’s continued to grow with the District as a Reserve and now an Intern while working toward his paramedic license.

For his final day of EMS internship, Max spent the day on an engine sharpening his firefighter skills alongside the crew. It was a fitting way to wrap up this part of his journey, especially after spending so many years learning and serving with us.

Next up: getting his state paramedic license. Once he does, he’ll be eligible to join us full time, and we’re hoping to see him back for our next academy.

From Explorer at 15 to nearly becoming a Novato firefighter, we’re proud of how far you’ve come, Max. Congratulations!

[Alt text: Max, wearing turnout gear, outside a training building for a photo on the final day of his EMS internship. In the second photo, Max practices a patient assessment on another firefighter during training.]

Multi-Use Path Closure: South Novato Blvd to Entrada Drive beginning August 20

As part of the Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break Project, Novato Fire Protection District is working in collaboration with the City of Novato on a hazardous vegetation project focused on the removal of eucalyptus along the multi-use path along Highway 101 connecting S Novato Boulevard to Entrada Drive. The pathway will be closed while work is underway.

📅 August 20 – September 8
📍 S Novato Blvd to Entrada Drive
⏰ 7am – 5pm | Monday through Friday

All work is weather dependent. Please plan ahead for additional travel time and use alternate routes.

Detour for S Novato Blvd to Ignacio Blvd
• Redwood Blvd to Palmer Dr
• Right on Palmer Dr to Ignacio Blvd
• Left on Ignacio Blvd to Entrada Dr
• Left on Entrada Dr

Detour for Ignacio Blvd to S Novato Blvd
• Go west on Ignacio Blvd to Palmer Dr, right on Palmer Dr
• Palmer Dr to Redwood Blvd
• Left on Redwood Blvd to S Novato Blvd

The Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break is a continuous 300-foot band around Novato, funded by the Measure C parcel tax. It will provide additional defensible space for homes near parks and open spaces, helping reduce wildfire intensity and severity by addressing accumulated vegetation and invasive species. The project is being completed in partnership with Marin Wildfire.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete this important fire safety work.

Recruit class 2026.1 has officially completed their academy, and today marks the beginning of their next chapter with Novato Fire District.

They’ve put in the work, pushed through long days and challenging training, and built the foundation they’ll carry with them as they begin shift work at our stations. We’re proud of how far they’ve come and excited to watch them grow into the firefighters and paramedics they’re becoming.

Their success is also a reflection of the people who helped get them here. From the training cadre who guided them through the academy to the many members across our suppression division who stepped in to teach, coach and share their experience, this was a true District-wide effort.

To Academy 2026.1, congratulations! Take what you’ve learned, keep learning, look out for each other and remember why you chose this profession. We’re proud to have you on the floor and can’t wait to see what comes next.

Ever wondered how we tackle large-scale wildfires that require resources from outside the area?

Meet one of Novato Fire’s Battalion Chiefs, Barrett Smith, who is currently deployed to the Little Giant Fire in Washington, just outside Leavenworth and Lake Chelan.

Chief Smith is serving as a Division Trainee on Division F, helping provide leadership and management of firefighting resources on the north end of Lake Chelan.

This fire presents some unique challenges. Portions of Chief Smith’s division are accessible only by boat, requiring crews to be shuttled in each day to support fire operations at boat-in-only campgrounds and structures.

The Little Giant Fire was sparked by lightning on July 16 and as of August 11, has grown to approximately 116,956 acres (182 square miles), with 2% containment. Communities including Plain, Leavenworth, Entiat, and Chelan remain threatened.

From Novato to Washington and all over the West Coast, we’re honored to provide mutual aid when needed. No matter where we serve, our thoughts are always with the communities affected. Stay safe, Chief Smith, and all the crews working this incident!

NOVATO, Calif. (July 30, 2026) – At 9:22 a.m., Novato Fire Protection District was dispatched to reports of a vehicle collision into a power pole, downed power lines, and a vegetation fire on northbound U.S. 101 near the State Route 37 interchange.

Novato Fire units arrived at 9:29 a.m. and found a vehicle with major damage after it struck a power pole, causing power lines to fall across both the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 101, as well as the Highway 37 on- and off-ramps. The downed power lines ignited three small vegetation spot fires totaling approximately one-quarter acre.

Firefighters extinguished the vehicle fire and contained the vegetation fires while coordinating with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to safely manage the electrical hazards. The fires were fully contained at 10:48 a.m.

One occupant sustained major injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

Due to the downed power lines, the CHP closed both directions of U.S. 101, the eastbound State Route 37 off-ramp, and Rowland Boulevard at approximately 9:35 a.m. to allow emergency crews to safely access the scene. At 10:48 a.m., both directions of U.S. 101 had partially reopened, and portions of Highway 37 remained closed. At approximately 12:03pm all lanes were opened in all directions.

Motorists are asked to proceed with caution as PG&E continues their repair work in the area this evening.

PG&E crews responded at approximately 9:40 a.m. to assess the damaged power infrastructure and address electrical hazards. Approximately 6,000 customers were impacted by the outage.

The Marin County Office of Emergency Management issued an AlertMarin notification at approximately 10:04 a.m. to provide notification of significant traffic impacts as a result of the accident as well as various Nixle messages sent by Novato Police Department.

Agencies responding to the incident included the Novato Fire Protection District, Marin County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, Novato Police Department, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and the Marin County Office of Emergency Management.

The cause of the collision is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.