The Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Company (WGVFC) is a small fire protection and emergency medical organization with 15-20 all volunteer firefighters, first responders and 1 EMT, founded by the Whale Gulch Community in 1973 in response to the Finley Creek wildland fire. 

WGVFC’s response area is 68 square miles in the extremely isolated, steep and heavily forested frontier wilderness “Lost Coast” section of North Western Mendocino County (70%) and South Western Humboldt County (30%).

WGVFC’s service covers 328 residents, 77 residences are located within the community of Whale Gulch along with the two acre K-12 Whale Gulch School campus and Whale Gulch VFC fire station across the road. There are also 10 residences east of the Gulch along the Briceland-Thorn Road (one of which is the well visited Redwoods Monastery) to the county line and an additional 8 residences on the northern end of the community in Humboldt County on Chemise Mountain road.

WGVFC’s wildland area of response also extends into the popular tourist destinations of the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park to the south and the Chemise Mountain Wilderness Area to the north where WGVFC responds to several medical rescues a year.

WGVFC has mutual aid agreements with their two closest Fire Agencies: Whitethorn Fire District to the east and Shelter Cove Fire to the north, both of which are located in Humboldt County.

THE DECISION MAKING COMMITTEE

ADMINISTRATOR/EMS DIRECTOR - Jessi Langston

ADMINISTRATOR/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER - Syreeta Beckert Cox

FIRE DIRECTOR - Sascha Kissell

ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF - Kyle Umina

TASK FORCE LEADER - Leif Larson

LEAD OFFICER - John Hughes

2026 VOLUNTEER ROSTER

CHIEF 5900 - Sascha Kissell

ASSISTANT CHIEF 5901 - Kyle Umina

TASK FORCE LEADER CHIEF 5902 - Leif Larson

EMS CHIEF 5903 - Jessi Langston

5904 - Maceo Gienger

5905 - John Hughes

5906 - Spencer Noyce

5907 - James Lynn

5908 - Forest Pietila

5909 - Dave Barker

Firefighter Mattson - Amber Mattson

Firefighter Orion - Josh Orion

Firefighter Graham - Azul Graham

CALFIRE -Azul Graham, Jamal Kersh, and Salim Kersh

WGVFC POLICY (TO BE ADDED)

WGVFC 5 YEAR PLAN

WGVFC RESPONSE AREA MAP

ABOUT US

2026 CURRENT PROJECT

IMPROVED RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT

Because of the steep terrain of our response area, the Whale Gulch VFC has struggled with clear communications on the radio in certain “dead zones” within our response area. In 2026, we are working alongside Silke Communications to install a “hybrid repeater” using a mobile radio unit located at the top of Swift Peak. We have received funding through the Mendocino Fire Safe Council to pay for the equipment. We are currently seeking additional funding to pay for the labor costs and fuel reduction.

2026 WGVFC SAYS HELLO TO BRAND NEW TYPE 6 ENGINE THANKS TO HUMBOLDT COUNTY MEASURE Z AND THE HUMBOLDT COUNTY FIRE CHIEF’s ASSOCIATION

Thanks to Humboldt County’s Measure Z, the Southern Humbodlt Fire Chief’s Association, the efforts of Chief Sascha Kissell for going through the application process to acquire this new type 6, and to the hard work and dedication of all of these volunteers who have increased all of their trainings and certifications to make us a qualified company to be responsible for maintaining, training, and serving our community with this new apparatus.

2024 MENDOCINO COUNTY FSC MICRO GRANT AWARDED TO FUND SEVERAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS.

In 2024, WGVFC and the WGFSC joined together to apply for a micro grant from the Mendocino County FSC to fund address signs in the neighborhood through a project spearheaded by Marie Mills and her daughter Teresa. Along with installing address signs, this grant also funded fuel reduction around our community meadow site and becoming a FireWise Community spearheaded by fire director, Sascha Kisssell, as well as seeking out and testing a repeater site to solve dead zones for the WGVFC radio communications which was spearheaded by Christopher Larson.

2024 WHALE GULCH BECOMES A FIREWISE COMMUNITY

2024 WGVFC SAID GOODBYE TO 5931, A US FOREST SERVICE TRUCK WE ACQUIRED THROUGH THE FEPP PROGRAM MANY YEARS AGO…