For the first time ever, the small town has its own Fire Department.
The change comes after the Kings County Board of Supervisors voted to end its fire services contract with the city of Avenal, citing public safety concerns tied to a dispute over a community event venue that the county's fire chief deemed unsafe.
Kings County is still providing services through Thursday, but after that, the department will be on its own.
"I feel excited. I feel confident about what we've done. Ultimately, at the end of the day, when you look forward to six months from now, a year from now, people are going to be proud of the local services we provide and really just appreciative of the expansion of what we've done," says Fire Chief Jacob McAfee, who took on his new role in March.
Since then, they have hired a full-time captain and a full-time fire engineer.
The department is also supported by Fresno City College interns and plans to open volunteer positions.
Chief McAfee describes the progress and teamwork as unmatched.
"It really has been a herculean effort, not only by me, but by my staff at the city staff as a whole. Everybody has really come together to push this as fast, but efficiently as possible," explains Chief McAfee.
The department started taking calls just over a week ago.
Firefighters have already responded to dozens of calls.
For locals, like Nikolasa Diaz, the accessible services have provided some relief.
Nikolasa expresses, "I am very happy because we will have firefighters in Avenal and services. I will no longer have to worry about not having local firefighters in Avenal and we needed that."
Chief McAfee says they are currently accepting volunteer firefighter applications.
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