Big Pine, California lies just north of Death Valley National Park, and is the gateway to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, as well as the Palisades Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere. This unique mountain community is as diverse as it is beautiful.  

 

When a bucket brigade was unable to save a burning house in 1936, the concerned Big Pine community began discussing the possibility of establishing its own fire department. By 1941, the department began to take shape. The Big Pine Fire Protection District was established in 1946, with ten firefighters, an old school bell as an alarm, and a retrofitted WWII engine. Today, the department is an all-volunteer Fire Rescue EMS department with a membership that reflects the diversity of the region, with several members representing the Paiute Native American and Latino communities.  

 

Big Pine has a total population of 2,124 people. The community includes a three-story K-12 public school and library, gas stations, motels, markets, restaurants, and a variety of other shops and services.  

 

Covering more than 140 square miles, the district includes the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley and the Pana-pede Indian Band, which have a combined population of 1,756 people. The district does not charge the tribe for fire protection services.

 

There are several other small communities surrounding Big Pine, which the district also protects, including Aberdeen, the Birch Creek settlement, two State of California fish hatcheries with employee housing, and several scattered cattle ranches and alfalfa farms.

 

Similar to the rest of Inyo County, the Big Pine fire district includes a small amount of private land; the majority of the district’s jurisdiction covers state, county, federal and tribal land. Situated in a deep valley between two 14,000 ft. tall mountain ranges, the district is diverse, and draws millions of visitors from around the world annually.