Volunteer Fire Department
Mineral-Mill Creek Volunteer Fire Department
The Mineral-Mill Creek Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) was established as Hose Company #1 in 1949. It is now designated as Company 20 by Tehama County.
The department's initial response area extends to the Plumas County line on Hwy. 36, to the Butte County line on Hwy. 32, and to the Shasta County line on the Park Road (Hwy. 89N). The company also responds to calls as far west on Hwy. 36 as the Sky Ranch. Volunteers are usually the first to respond to local incidents.
Currently, five Mineral residents (with more than 100 years' combined service) comprise the company: Chief Al Blomquist, Dan Foster (Battle Creek Meadows Ranch Caretaker), John Frehse (Mineral County Water District General Manager), Michael Le Master, and Bobby McMichael, the newest member. In early 2022, R.B. Wadlington resigned in order to spend more time with family. Wadlington is a retired U.S. Forest Service employee who served for many years and brought a wealth of knowledge to Company 20.
Volunteers are always welcome. Learn more about being a volunteer firefighter. Please call Chief Blomquist at 595-4479 if you would like to join.
Thank you, volunteers, for your service!
Annual Fund Raiser
Pancake Breakfast, Parade, Raffle & Silent Auction
Each year, Company 20 hosts a Sunday pancake breakfast, raffle, and silent auction in honor of the 4th of July at the Mill Creek Resort .
Volunteers serve up to 500 breakfasts between 8 and 10 AM while selling raffle tickets and commemorative apparel and accepting bids for the silent auction. Over the years, many lucky attendees have taken home impressive prizes donated by individuals and organizations with ties to our community.
After breakfast, folks from all around provide additional entertainment by putting on a parade that features all modes of transportation and a kazoo band led by Sharon Gies.
If you would like to make a donation to the VFD in lieu of attending the event, you are welcome to mail them to the address below or give them to VFD members.
Mineral/Mill Creek VFD
PO Box 3
Mineral, CA 96063
Eastern Tehama County volunteers manned the Paynes Creek Cal Fire station off of State Route 36E, pictured here, during the Zogg Fire. (Julie Zeeb — Daily News)
Pictured from left to right: Jamie White (Paynes Creek); Al Blomquist; Marion Rocksvold (Manton); John Frehse; Dan Foster; and Steve Zane (Paynes Creek).
Eastern Tehama County VFDs Finally Get Some Ink
In 2020, the Zogg Fire threatened to overwhelm CDF's resources. Fortunately, many local volunteer companies stepped in to hard-cover (physically occupy) area CDF fire stations. Mineral-Mill Creek volunteers hard-covered the Paynes Creek station during this time.
On October 9, 2020, Julie Zeeb published a Red Bluff Daily News article entitled "Local Volunteer Firefighters Recognized in the Red Bluff Daily News" that specifically recognized the Mineral-Mill Creek Volunteer Fire Department, complete with photo.
One of the sources Zeeb interviewed was Erick Puckett.
From the article:
“We [CDF] have several engines out so they [volunteers] could be staffing stations for up to seven more days, but that depends on the Zogg Fire,” said Tehama-Glenn Assistant Chief Erick Puckett Oct. 2. “It depends on the Zogg Fire because the Zogg Fire is close. As the closest Cal Fire state resources, (Tehama-Glenn Unit) will be released last. At one point, there were no state fire engines in the unit and county was backing us 100 percent with Tehama County volunteers in our stations.”
Tehama-Glenn Unit Battalion Chief Scott Lohse said in his entire career, this was the most hard coverage from volunteers he had ever seen.
“There was a huge help from the Tehama County volunteers taking time out of their lives to support Tehama County and Cal Fire TGU,” Lohse said.
Read the article written by Julie Zeeb