Fire chief outlines 2025 response activity, equipment and training gains

Fire Chief David Schmaltz presented the fire department's annual report at the Feb. 23 meeting, detailing 2025 operations and priorities for 2026.

Schmaltz said the department handled about 1,515 calls in 2025, an increase over prior years, with roughly 65% of calls classified as EMS. He said the department raised about $13,650 in grants and donations that funded a new Lucas 3 CPR chest-compression device and that firefighters helped save an estimated $32,000,000 in property value from fire incidents.

Schmaltz discussed response statistics, noting the city response travel time improved to about 3 minutes, 30 seconds, and turnout times for EMS calls dropped to under a minute. He highlighted increases in smoke-detector installations through a free consortium program and said the department plans community-risk reduction work, senior outreach programs at the Burnside Center, continued training, and transition to new CAD and RMS systems to improve dispatching and run cards.

Council thanked the chief; the presentation prompted public praise during the second public-comment period. Schmaltz said apparatus replacement is forecasted in 2032 and emphasized training and mutual-aid partnerships that supported 2025 responses.