OCFA - Orange County Fire Authority

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Public Records

What is a Public Record?

Public Records Act (PRA) requests are for documents that currently exist and have been created in the normal course of business. There is no cost to view existing responsive records that do not require special programming.

Contrary to popular belief not all records are maintained permanently. The OCFA follows its Board-adopted Records Retention Schedule, which is based upon various Government Codes that regulate the retention and destruction of records. Also, some fire related records reside with their respective City, prior to joining or after leaving the Orange County Fire Authority. Below are links to submit those records:

City of Santa Ana fire and incident related records prior to April 2012, must be requested from the City through their website at: Santa Ana Public Records Request Form

City of Garden Grove fire and incident records prior to August 16, 2019, must be requested from the City through their website at: Garden Grove Public Records Request Form

City of Placentia fire and incident records after July 1, 2020, must be requested from the City through their website at: Placentia Public Records Request Form

Fees are based upon the actual costs associated in copying the record, as allowed by Government Code and approved by the OCFA Board of Directors by its Fee Schedule.

*Effective March 1, 2017, a 2.45% convenience fee will be charged for payments using credit or debit cards. The convenience fee is based on the total amount of the charge and paid directly to the service vendor. No convenience fee will be charged for payments by cash, check, or electronic check (eCheck).

If you have any general questions regarding public records, please contact the Clerk of the Authority Office during regular business hours at (714) 573-6040.

For information or records pertaining to: Property Inspections, Violations, Environmental Site Assessments, Chemical Storage, Landscape Clearance, Fuel Modification Plans, Architectural Plans, Life Safety System Plans, New Construction Inspections, and Fire Safety Inspection, please contact the Community Risk Reduction Department at (714) 573-6254.

Public Records Request Form

Medical Records Request Form

Property Records Request Form

Licensed Professional Request Form

Request for Non-Releasable Reports Form

Make A Payment

FREQUENTLY REQUESTED

OCFA BOARD / COMMITTEE RELATED DOCUMENTS
Agenda, Minutes, Resolutions, Ordinances, Agreements, and Reports are only a few of the types of documents that fall into this category of records. Several of these documents, such as the Agenda, Minutes, and Videos of Board meetings are readily available on the OCFA's website. Please complete a Public Records Request Form for these types of records.

OCFA BOARD / COMMITTEE RELATED DOCUMENTS

Agenda, Minutes, Resolutions, Ordinances, Agreements, and Reports are only a few of the types of documents that fall into this category of records. Several of these documents, such as the Agenda, Minutes, and Videos of Board meetings are readily available on the OCFA's website.

Please complete a Public Records Request Form for these types of records.

FIRE INCIDENT / INVESTIGATION (SPECIAL REPORT)
Fire incident/investigation reports are not always available upon demand, as the incident may still be an open investigation. If this is the case, an incident summary will be available to the property owner, person who sustained loss/injury as a result of the fire, or agent representing either (such as an insurance company) per California Government Code §6254(f). Usually the summary will contain enough information for the purpose of processing a claim with an insurance company. Should the report subsequently be closed and deemed non-criminal the full report will be released to the requestor at no additional cost. It should be noted that personal and medical protected information will be redacted from these reports prior to release. *Any fire incident/investigation deemed criminal full reports will not be released without a subpoena. OFFICIAL & AUTHORIZED AGENCIES*, please complete a Request for Non-Releasable Reports Form for these types of records.

FIRE INCIDENT / INVESTIGATION (SPECIAL REPORT)

Fire incident/investigation reports are not always available upon demand, as the incident may still be an open investigation. If this is the case, an incident summary will be available to the property owner, person who sustained loss/injury as a result of the fire, or agent representing either (such as an insurance company) per California Government Code §6254(f). Usually the summary will contain enough information for the purpose of processing a claim with an insurance company.

Should the report subsequently be closed and deemed non-criminal the full report will be released to the requestor at no additional cost. It should be noted that personal and medical protected information will be redacted from these reports prior to release. Any fire incident/investigation deemed criminal full reports will not be released without a subpoena.

OFFICIAL & AUTHORIZED AGENCIES, please complete a Request for Non-Releasable Reports Form for these types of records.

PRE-HOSPITAL PATIENT CARE (SPECIAL REPORT)
Please note that any information regarding patient documents are protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The release of these documents is restricted to: 1.) the patient; 2.) a parent or guardian of minor; 3.) a person with the Power of Attorney; and/or 4.) by a court-issued subpoena. ** Proof of identity is required. Please complete a Medical Records Request Form for these types of records.

PRE-HOSPITAL PATIENT CARE (SPECIAL REPORT)

Please note that any information regarding patient documents are protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The release of these documents is restricted to:

1.) the patient;
2.) a parent or guardian of minor;
3.) a person with the Power of Attorney; and/or
4.) by a court-issued subpoena.
** Proof of identity is required.

Please complete a Medical Records Request Form for these types of records.

PROPERTY INSPECTIONS / VIOLATIONS / ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENTS
To secure Fire and Life Safety Inspections and Violations documents (often used for the purpose of Environmental Site Assessments for properties) the requestor must be able to provide the OCFA with the property's full street address and city. Use of "in the area of or cross streets" is not specific enough for us to locate responsive documents. Please complete a Property Records Request Form for these type of records.

PROPERTY INSPECTIONS / VIOLATIONS / ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENTS

To secure Fire and Life Safety Inspections and Violations documents (often used for the purpose of Environmental Site Assessments for properties) the requestor must be able to provide the OCFA with the property's full street address and city. Use of "in the area of or cross streets" is not specific enough for us to locate responsive documents. Please complete a Property Records Request Form for these type of records.

CHEMICAL STORAGE RECORDS
These documents are also referred to as "Community Right to Know Requests." Please complete the CRTK Request Form. PLEASE NOTE: As of 2013, Orange County Health Care maintains records for Underground Storage Tanks, Aboveground Storage Tanks, chemical inventory, Business Emergency Plans, CalARP (California Accidental Release Prevention), and waste. Please contact Orange County Health Care regarding any documents from 2013 and later at (714) 433-6000 or http://ochealthinfo.com/

CHEMICAL STORAGE RECORDS

These documents are also referred to as "Community Right to Know Requests." Please complete the CRTK Request Form.

PLEASE NOTE: As of 2013, Orange County Health Care maintains records for Underground Storage Tanks, Aboveground Storage Tanks, chemical inventory, Business Emergency Plans, CalARP (California Accidental Release Prevention), and waste. Please contact Orange County Health Care regarding any documents from 2013 and later at (714) 433-6000 or http://ochealthinfo.com/

LANDSCAPE CLEARANCE / FUEL MODIFICATION PLANS
Building plans are copy righted documents that require permission from the architect. You will need to submit a Licensed Professional Release Request Form in addition to your Property Records Request Form.

ARCHITECTURAL / LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS PLANS
Building plans are copy righted documents that require permission from the architect. You will need to submit a Licensed Professional Release Request Form in addition to your Property Records Request Form.

9-1-1 AUDIO RECORDING OF INCIDENTS
Per OCFA's Retention Schedule, we maintain 9-1-1 audio recording for 100 days, so time is of the essence if you are requesting a 9-1-1 audio recording of an incident. Our dispatch staff will conduct a search for the call, and if located and releasable (sometimes the police or District Attorney's office will deem the audio confidential, if tied to a criminal investigation); the audio will be provided as a WAV file, which can be listened to on a computer.

9-1-1 AUDIO RECORDING OF INCIDENTS

Per OCFA's Retention Schedule, we maintain 9-1-1 audio recording for 100 days, so time is of the essence if you are requesting a 9-1-1 audio recording of an incident. Our dispatch staff will conduct a search for the call, and if located and releasable (sometimes the police or District Attorney's office will deem the audio confidential, if tied to a criminal investigation); the audio will be provided as a WAV file, which can be listened to on a computer.

SUBPOENA
Court-issued requests for OCFA employees to provide recorded depositions or testimony during court trials or copies of non-redacted business records that are returned directly to the court or process server are subpoenas. The subpoena should be accompanied by a records deposit check in the amount per California Government Code §68096.1 and 68097.2. The subpoena should be served to the Clerk of the Authority Office during normal business hours.

SUBPOENA

Court-issued requests for OCFA employees to provide recorded depositions or testimony during court trials or copies of non-redacted business records that are returned directly to the court or process server are subpoenas.

The subpoena should be accompanied by a records deposit check in the amount per California Government Code §68096.1 and 68097.2. The subpoena should be served to the Clerk of the Authority Office during normal business hours.

STATEMENTS OF ECONOMIC INTEREST FORMS (FPPC FORM 700)
As a public agency, we are required to comply with the Political Reform Act. The Fair Political Practices Commission “FPPC” is the agency who oversees compliance. While there are several FPPC records maintained by the OCFA, the primary form of interest to the public is usually the Statements of Economic Interest (FPPC Form 700) used to identify and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. If you require copies, the costs are minimal and set by the FPPC per California Government Code § 81008. Any documents 5+ years old are subject to a retrieval cost, which is also set by the FPPC. Please complete the Public Records Request form to request copies and/or view documents.

STATEMENTS OF ECONOMIC INTEREST FORMS (FPPC FORM 700)

As a public agency, we are required to comply with the Political Reform Act. The Fair Political Practices Commission “FPPC” is the agency who oversees compliance. While there are several FPPC records maintained by the OCFA, the primary form of interest to the public is usually the Statements of Economic Interest (FPPC Form 700) used to identify and disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

If you require copies, the costs are minimal and set by the FPPC per California Government Code § 81008. Any documents 5+ years old are subject to a retrieval cost, which is also set by the FPPC. Please complete the Public Records Request form to request copies and/or view documents.

EMAIL SERVER SEARCH
Retention of OCFA emails is two years. Retrieval would require programming to extract them from the server. You will be requested to provide additional information to assist staff in programming the server search, such as date range, email recipient, sender, and subject or key words. There is a fee associated with this service per the Board-adopted Fee Schedule, and can take additional time to review and release dependent on scope of request.

EMAIL SERVER SEARCH

Retention of OCFA emails is two years. Retrieval would require programming to extract them from the server. You will be requested to provide additional information to assist staff in programming the server search, such as date range, email recipient, sender, and subject or key words.

There is a fee associated with this service per the Board-adopted Fee Schedule, and can take additional time to review and release dependent on scope of request.

AUDIT REPORTS
In the past, there has been some confusion regarding Work Papers of Auditors. Work papers of auditors are not available to the entity that it audits as they contain propriety information into the auditor's process. Working papers are the confidential property of the auditor. These documents are not records owned by the OCFA; however, the end product "the audit report" is available on the web.

REQUEST TYPES NOT CATEGORIZED ABOVE
If your specific request type is not identified above, please use the PRR Form provided for making your request.

CONTACT WITH FIELD PERSONNEL
On occasion, members of the public may want to be provided with additional information by the field personnel who responded to the incident. The OCFA does not allow interviews with our staff without the use of a court-issued subpoena to depose them. This practice is for your protection and the protection of our staff. *There are no exceptions to this practice.*

MEDIA INQUIRIES - INFORMATION BY COMMERCIAL MEDIA
OCFA understands and respects the urgency associated with commercial media inquiries, media personnel are encouraged to directly contact our Corporate Communications for assistance with their requests for information or documents at (714) 573-6200. For urgent "breaking news incident" inquires during normal business hours, please phone us at (714) 573-6200 or for after-hours media phone inquiries (714) 357-7782. We always strive to provide you with the latest and releasable information. If we are not immediately available to pick-up your call, please leave us your name, media agency, location of incident, and brief message. We will return your call as time allows and request your respect and consideration in allowing us to execute our mission in the protection of life and property.

MEDIA INQUIRIES - INFORMATION BY COMMERCIAL MEDIA

OCFA understands and respects the urgency associated with commercial media inquiries, media personnel are encouraged to directly contact our Corporate Communications for assistance with their requests for information or documents at (714) 573-6200.

For urgent "breaking news incident" inquires during normal business hours, please phone us at (714) 573-6200 or for after-hours media phone inquiries (714) 357-7782. We always strive to provide you with the latest and releasable information.

If we are not immediately available to pick-up your call, please leave us your name, media agency, location of incident, and brief message. We will return your call as time allows and request your respect and consideration in allowing us to execute our mission in the protection of life and property.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION