Los Altos Hills County Fire District - Los Altos Hills, CA
Joubin Pakpour, P.E. of Pakpour Consulting Group currently serves as contract District Engineer for Los Altos Hills County Fire District.
The Los Altos Hills County Fire District (the "District”) was organized on October 23, 1939. In addition to its primary mission of fire suppression and prevention, the District performs a number of related functions in support of this mission. Probably the most significant of these other functions is the provisioning and maintenance of the pipeline infrastructure within our district to ensure an adequate and reliable supply of water for use in fire emergencies.
The district does not employ its own firefighting personnel, apparatus, or equipment. Rather this function is contracted out to the Santa Clara County Fire Department. In this way, the district can enjoy the benefits of local control and planning, while at the same time benefiting from all the advantages offered by a larger district – not only in terms of economics, but also direct access to a wider pool of expertise, equipment, and day-to-day management, not to mention extensive back-up and mutual aid capabilities should the occasion warrant.
Similarly with the installation and maintenance of the pipeline system, this is in large measure contracted out specialized consultants and contractors, thus minimizing the financial risks and burden of maintaining an “in-house” capability.
The district also promotes and manages a number of other activities aimed at fire prevention and education, such as the “Brush Clearing” initiative and regular classes in emergency preparedness for residents of the district.
Pakpour Consulting Group maintains the District’s distribution hydraulic model in WaterCAD®, develops engineering drawings, standard plans and specifications. Mr. Pakpour works closely with each General Manager and their staff in providing recommendations on all components of the District’s distribution system. Hydraulic modeling ensures proposed improvements will provide adequate fire flows and increase the reliability of the system. Once projects are identified, Pakpour Consulting Group prepares plans, specifications, cost estimates and assists the Districts during the bidding and construction phases. A sampling of projects includes new pump stations, replacement of deteriorating water mains and new storage facilities. Pakpour Consulting Group also reviews subdivision and residential developments for conformance to the recommendations presented in the hydraulic modeling. Mr. Pakpour also serves as a resource to the General Manager and Board Members and meets on a regular basis with developers working within the District to inform them of new District standards and status of plan reviews.
