The Diablo Fires Safe Council (DFSC) sponsors defensible space fuel reduction projects with cost-sharing assistance of up to $5,000 per project available to organizations or groups of individuals to hire contractors to reduce fuel loads and create defensible space.

Over the last few days, the images of unimaginable devastation from the LA County fires have prompted an outpouring of inquiries from Kensington residents. Your neighbors want to prevent repeating what has happened in Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Lahaina, Paradise, and other communities ravaged by wildfire and other disasters. Many residents recognize parallels these impacted communities share…

The Kensington Fire Protection District (KFPD) provides reimbursement funds after removing hazardous plants/debris from Kensington properties to reduce fire loads around properties to help protect your home, your neighbors’ homes, and the entire community.

Click below to read the Purdue review surveyed on 12/4/2023.

Alert. RED FLAG WARNING: Effective Tuesday, 11/5, 11:00 am - Thursday, 11/7, 7:00 am Offshore winds and critically dry conditions for the East Bay.

MESSAGE FROM FIRE CHIEF ERIC SAYLORS (Friday 10/18 5:45pm)

 El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department will conduct a joint multi-agency Wildland Exercise and Structure defense review on June 24th, June 26th, and June 28th. This exercise is to ensure interagency equipment familiarity and compatibility, exercise interagency communication, and familiarize the areas of Kensington, Berkeley, and Tilden Park. During this time, you may see engines rotating through…

Berkeley City Vice Mayor, Susan Wengraf is holding a webinar focusing on the insurance crisis that is affecting many of her residents (and beyond).

Maybeck Firewise has been recognized as Kensington's 2nd Firewise USA community, thanks to the active participation of residents living on Dewey Road, Garden Drive, and Purdue Avenue north of Willamette. Your involvement is crucial in our collective efforts to reduce wildfire risks in Kensington. If you want more information about establishing Firewise communities in Kensington, contact prepare@…

The Kensington Fire Protection District has funds available designated for Kensington residents to replace hazardous vegetation. 

Click here for our latest RFP listings.

REMINDER! This Saturday, 10 am - 12 Noon "In-Person" at the Kensington Community Center

When an earthquake hits, one of the most important things to have on hand is drinking water.  EBMUD expects to have most residential services restored within a month of a major quake. To be prepared for that month, 1 gallon of potable water and 1 gallon of sanitation water per person per day is recommended.

UPDATED 2/11/2025 6:15pm

Watch this brief video to see how the KFPD is preparing Kensington for wildfires & natural disasters by:
1.) Building a safer Fire Station 65
2.) Planning for evacuations
3.) Educating the community
4.) Following our mission: "...to provide the highest level of service to Kensington in order to protect the lives, property, and environment of the community from the disastrous effects of fires…

At the October 2022 KFPD Emergency Preparedness Mtg, Fire Chief Eric Saylors presented an overview of Emergency Warning Systems (aka Long Range Acoustic Devices), including how they work, where they are being implemented, and what grants are available to cover the cost. Please watch this 15-minute video to see how Kensington could benefit from this technology in a disaster.

Please join us this Thursday, 10/20/2022, at Noon for the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Kensington Public Safety Building Seismic Renovation Project, 217 Arlington Ave, Kensington. Following a brief ceremony and lowering of the flag, there will be an open house at Temporary Station 65 (814 Craft Ave.) For comprehensive project info, please see: https://www.kensingtonfire.org/public-safety-…

At the October 2022 KFPD Board Meeting, Fire Chief Eric Saylors discussed Kensington's staffing and space needs for pre-staging strike teams at the renovated Fire Station 65 in response to growing wildfire threats. Please watch this six-minute video to learn how the Fire Chief is preparing Kensington for natural disasters.

October 12, 2022

On October 11th, 2022, the KFPD held a Zoom webinar featuring CAL FIRE to provide a brief overview of Kensington's objectives to establish Firewise Communities and to ask CAL FIRE questions regarding this program. Video and Audio recordings of the meeting are in the links below.

A lot has happened since the comprehensive FAQ was posted last November 2021: Construction documents were completed, a building permit was issued, financing was approved, public bids were received, and a general contractor was awarded the project. Pre-construction work is now underway and demolition will begin on October 17, 2022. The FAQ has been updated with the most current information on the…

Sept 28, 2022 - Public Notice on Construction

At our 09/27/2022 Meet The Chief Open House, Fire Chief Eric Saylors spoke to residents about his top three concerns for Kensington and his initial impressions as he starts his tenure leading the El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department. Thanks to our community members who brought some great questions and suggestions! Listen to a sound clip from the beginning of the two-hour chat, outlining those…

Dear Kensington Community, Please join me at the Kensington Public Safety Building, 217 Arlington Ave, in the Apparatus Bay from 3:00pm to 5:00pm on Tuesday, September 27th for an open house and a face-to-face meeting with the new fire chief. Feel free to bring your questions about the current state and future of the fire service in Kensington. Thank you, Eric Saylors

June 3, 2022 - The Kensington Fire Protection District has posted two Requests For Bids. The first is for site work to establish a temporary fire station at a 5,000sf parking lot owned by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley accessed from the end of Craft Ave at the border of El Cerrito & Kensington. The second is for the seismic renovation of the existing 6,000sf Public Safety Building…

March 30, 2022 - The El Cerrito/Kensington Fire Department has been awarded a Class 1 Public Protection Classification rating by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), an organization that independently evaluates municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. The Class 1 rating is the highest possible score that can be given to any fire department nationwide…

May 13, 2021: "How One Bay Area Community Is Taking Wildfire Watch Into Its Own Hands"

Click here for our latest RFP listings.

The Kensington Fire Protection District received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance.

At the Board of Director's January 2018 meeting, Colleen Hayley of the California Special Districts Association attended to announce KFPD's receipt of the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence.  This award from the Special District Leadership Foundation is in recognition of the District's completion of all transparency program requirements designed to promote transparency in their…

In April 2016, the Kensington Fire Protection District put their new Type I engine into service. The apparatus was custom built by Hi-Tech Emergency Vehicle Services in Oakdale, California. This new engine which is built on a Spartan Motors chassis is replacing the current 2000 Type I pumper which after 16 years was requiring more and more maintenance due to the extra wear and tear that the steep…

In October 2013, Kensington Fire Protection District became a re-accredited District of Distinction through the Special District Leadership Foundation for a third successive term. KFPD was originally designated a District of Distinction in 2009. The District of Distinction accreditation is one of the most prestigious local government awards in the state of California. This award clearly validates…

The Kensington Fire Protection District Water System Improvements Master Plan was adopted by the KFPD Board of Directors in December 1999. The Master Plan was created to improve the community's ability to withstand an assault by fire and is based on fire flow criteria provided by fire fighting staff, the California Fire Code for hydrant spacing, community standards for vegetation management…