|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Fewer than 3% of calls handled by the Redwood City Fire Department since 2023 involved fires, while nearly two-thirds were for medical aid.
And nearly 30% of the department’s responses take place outside the city, offering a broader look at what the city’s firefighters are called on to do.
That’s according to a new public safety data platform launched by Redwood City in June; Only 2.8% of calls to the fire department since 2023 have been fire-related, below the national average of roughly 3%.
“We sometimes get questions, ‘Well, why is that big fire truck with three to four personnel responding to an EMS call?” said Fire Chief Baraka Carter. “If it’s a medical call, then they can respond to the medical call. But the moment that they clear that medical call, they may get called to a structure fire.”
The next highest proportion is a “no emergency” call, comprising about 18%, which includes false alarms, good faith reports, canceled calls and situations where no incident was located. More than 7% are public service-related and may include life assists, lost-person calls, weather-related responses, damaged hydrants and alarm activations.
Rescues from spaces like elevators, vehicles and water accounted for just 318 calls since 2023, according to the dashboard. Just over 100 incident calls in the last three-and-a-half years have been to assist law enforcement, typically with medical care and/or scene safety.
From 2023 until the end of June, the department has responded to around 12,000 incidents a year, with an average response time of six minutes and 14 seconds, which has remained fairly consistent over the years.
“Our fire services are strategically placed throughout the county,” Baraka said, “so they have the ability to respond and get to the scene before the ambulance can.”
The fire department has eight fire engines, one tiller-mounted aerial ladder truck, one battalion chief, one breathing support, one fire boat, two rescue boats, eight drones and one fuel tender, according to the city’s latest adopted budget. The department also offers community programs like the Junior Fire Academy and Community Emergency Response Team classes.
“The engines are the workforce of the organization,” Carter said, “so they have the tools and the resources that they need to respond to any call type the truck really has.”
The fire academy was established in 2005 as an educational program offering youth aged 11 to 14 a hands-on introduction to firefighting, emergency preparedness and public service. CERT is a program for community members to train themselves on disaster safety and how to help emergency responders.
The city purchased the fireboat in 2012 for almost $1 million, which has responded to incidents only 0.2% of the time since 2025, when the data was first recorded, the city’s communications coordinator, Jeanne Sullivan Billeci, said.
That said, the fireboat has responded to 25 calls for service since the start of the year, enabling the department to respond to emergencies by sea as well. One example includes rescuing an individual who was separated from their kayak after it overturned in rough waters, the communications coordinator said.
“On July 4th,” she added, “you will often find Boat 9 out on the water during the fireworks show to help keep the public at a safe distance to ensure a safe and fun experience for all.”
The purchase was entirely funded by the federal Port Security Grant awarded in 2010, Billeci noted. The boat supports emergency response along Redwood City’s waterfront and surrounding waterways, including fires, rescues and other maritime emergencies.
Over 45% of Redwood City’s revenue from service charges is fire department-related, according to the budget. That means that the city could see roughly $12 to $14 million from its fire services alone for fiscal year 2026 to 2027.
Most of the fire department’s budget goes toward personnel, Baraka said, which covers administration, emergency planners, frontline operations, code enforcement and training departments.
Included in that figure is San Carlos’ contractual payment to Redwood City for its fire services because San Carlos does not have its own department, the budget stated. Almost 20% of Redwood City’s fire department responses in the last three-and-a-half years have been in San Carlos, the dashboard shows.
San Carlos has not had its own fire department at least for the past century, according to San Carlos’ executive assistant, Nekaya Nachmann. She said it’s typical for small cities to outsource public safety services because they can be expensive to establish and maintain.
Baraka called the relationship with San Carlos “mutually beneficial,” with the Redwood City Fire Department providing the personnel, while San Carlos houses its own facilities and apparatus.
Another roughly 10% of fire services are put toward North Fair Oaks and areas outside of Redwood City, meaning only approximately 70% of the Redwood City Fire Department’s operations take place inside of the city, the dashboard illustrated.
Because North Fair Oaks is an unincorporated part of San Mateo County, the county has a contract with the city, which just renewed and is good until 2037. The Menlo Park Fire District responds to calls in the southern part of North Fair Oaks, while the Redwood City Fire Department responds to calls in the north of the area.
“The interesting thing about San Mateo County is that we have what’s called a ‘zero boundary,’” Baraka said, “so what that means is you’re going to get the closest resource when you dial 911, regardless of whose jurisdiction it is.”
The fire department has also been focused on preventing fires before they happen by strengthening inspections, public education, code enforcement and data analysis, the city’s communications coordinator, Billeci, said.
The city’s commitment to public safety is reflected in its budgetary priorities, the proposed 2026-27 budget stating that it will invest more to support training and professional development within the fire department, as well as in the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department to support fire mitigation efforts in city parks and open spaces to reduce wildfire risk.
The city budgeted about $50 million for the department during the 2024-25 fiscal year and will spend about $2.5 million more for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is 25% of the city’s total General Fund expenses and almost 13% of the operational budget.
However, the approximately $52.6 million budget is about $1 million less than the fiscal year 2025-26 budget.
Included in this fiscal year’s goals is to complete a National Fire Protection Association Community Risk Assessment that identifies the city’s highest fire and life safety risks, evaluates historical and emerging incident trends, analyzes impacts on vulnerable populations and establishes priorities for future risk reduction and prevention efforts.
Personnel costs have also been a recurring point of labor negotiations between the city and its firefighters. In 2022, the union secured a 7% raise over two years after 326 days without a contract. Two years later, firefighters again sought a new contract, citing understaffing, mandatory overtime and concerns over cost-of-living adjustments.
In fiscal year 2025–26, the department decided to transition the Fire Prevention Bureau into a Community Risk Reduction Division. While the bureau has been responsible for preventing fires before they happen, enforcing fire safety codes and reducing community risk, the rebrand is intended to underscore proactivity by integrating data-driven prevention strategies, public education and targeted outreach.
More than $45 million of the fire budget is projected to go toward employee costs, while about $5.5 million will cover internal services and almost $1.5 million will go toward supplies and services.
The fire chief said “it’s been an interesting summer” because there haven’t been many local fires so far. Instead, Redwood City has helped send resources to support firefighting in Washington and Nevada, supported California emergency services, training new personnel and conducting community emergency readiness outreach.
September is usually the city’s “hottest” month in terms of vegetation fires, with fire risk carrying through mid-October. The Redwood City Fire Department is already preparing for winter storms by encouraging the community to sign up for San Mateo County emergency alerts.
Jan. 6 rioter sells Chez Nous Cafe for President Trump’s unverified third-term runAugust 18, 2026 11:53 am
