The city is bordered on five sides by different neighborhoods of the city of Los Angeles: Pacific Palisades to the north, Brentwood on the northeast, West Los Angeles on the east, Mar Vista on the southeast, and Venice on the south.

In October 1875, six residents of Santa Monica came together to establish the Crawford Hook and Ladder Company, marking the beginning of organized firefighting in the area.

Over time, the SMFD has evolved and reached numerous milestones, including earning and maintaining an ISO Class 1 rating since 2012.

[10][11][12] The station has a public art installation by Deborah Aschhein called "Back Story".

The installation is made of painted and fired art glass panes with watercolor images of daily firefighting life.