Atascadero Firefighters L3600

10/21/2026

Atascadero Professional Firefighters are proud to formally express our endorsement for Susan Funk to retain her seat on the Atascadero City Council.

Council Member Susan Funk has proven to be a dedicated, reliable, and consistent advocate for our fire department and public safety infrastructure. During her tenure on the City Council, Susan has consistently championed the needs of our firefighters and first responders by investing in public safety resources, prioritizing staffing and readiness, and being a proactive advocate for community safety.

Susan Funk listens to first responders, respects our expertise, and works collaboratively to ensure Atascadero remains a safe place to live, work, and raise a family. Her steady leadership, experience, and commitment to public safety make her the right choice to continue serving our city.

We urge you to join us in supporting Susan Funk for Atascadero City Council.

10/19/2026

🚑 Decades without a countywide competitive review. Isn't it time to evaluate our options?

Our communities have grown. Technology has advanced. EMS has evolved.

Yet San Luis Obispo County has gone decades without a comprehensive countywide competitive review of ambulance service delivery.

✅ The current RFP process gives our communities an opportunity to:

• Evaluate today's emergency medical needs.
• Explore improved technology, dispatch, and ambulance deployment.
• Compare service models, performance, and value.
• Identify opportunities to improve patient care.

📞 Why does it matter? When you or someone you love calls 911, you depend on an entire EMS system working together to deliver the right care at the right time.

The goal isn't change for the sake of change. It's making sure we're providing the best possible EMS system for the communities we serve.

Learn more at CentralCoastEMS.org

10/12/2026

What happens after you call 9-1-1 matters.

📞 Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) helps determine how serious a medical emergency is and matches the response to the patient’s needs.

🚑 Why does that matter to you? It helps get the right resources to serious emergencies while keeping ambulances and first responders available for other 9-1-1 calls.

A 2025 independent assessment found that 80.5% of medical calls were being treated as emergency responses, yet only 9.6% of those patients were ultimately transported with lights and sirens. The assessment concluded this creates unnecessary risk and recommended implementing a modern EMD system.

💰 Today, local cities pay for County dispatch services, while the ambulance provider does not directly contribute to those dispatch costs.

The Partnership Plan: Modernize EMD and fund the upgraded dispatch system.

Learn more at CentralCoastEMS.org

10/05/2026

Atascadero Professional Firefighters are proud to endorse Mike Avila for Atascadero City Council. Mike Avila has demonstrated a clear and unwavering commitment to the core pillars of public safety and infrastructure that our community depends on every day: Fire, Police, and Roads.

As a longtime Atascadero resident, small business owner, and member of the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission, Mike understands that strong public safety services and well-maintained infrastructure are the foundation of a thriving community.

We believe he will bring practical experience, a commitment to public safety, and a growth-oriented approach that will benefit every neighborhood in our city. We encourage all Atascadero voters to join us in supporting Mike Avila this November.

10/05/2026

What does “Modernizing EMS” actually mean?

The Central Coast EMS Partnership is proposing several changes to how emergency ambulance services operate in our communities.

Under the current EMS system:

🚑 Ambulances are typically assigned to fixed locations until dispatched. Modern EMS systems can use call data, demand patterns, and real-time availability to help position ambulances where they are most likely to be needed.

🏥 9-1-1 ambulances are often used for interfacility hospital transfers. When units are committed to these transfers, fewer ambulances are available for 9-1-1 emergencies.

📞 San Luis Obispo County currently operates without an Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) system. EMD helps determine the severity of a medical call and match the 9-1-1 response to the patient's needs.

The Partnership Plan: Use data-driven ambulance deployment, improve resource availability for 9-1-1 emergencies, and implement Emergency Medical Dispatch.
These changes are designed to create a more efficient, responsive, and reliable 9-1-1 EMS system.

Learn more at CentralCoastEMS.org

09/23/2026

09/21/2026

L3600 would like to congratulate Fire Chief Casey Bryson on his recent retirement after over 30 years of service to the Atascadero community. He began his time with Atascadero Fire as a 17-year-old high school cadet and worked his way through every rank of the department, serving as Fire Chief for the last ten years of his career.

Chief Bryson's accomplishments are too numerous to list but it is easy to say he has made a profound impact on our fire organization, the City, the community and the fire service as a whole. Thank you for your dedication, Chief. Now enjoy your well deserved retirement!

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years later, we pause to remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the heroes who answered the call on September 11, 2001.

We honor the firefighters and first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice while helping others in the face of unimaginable danger.

Atascadero Professional Firefighters Local 3600 will never forget. 🇺🇸