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Eugene‑Springfield Fire reports eased wildfire year but ongoing ambulance and staffing strains
Summary
Fire Chief Kevin Kavan told the Springfield City Council on Oct. 6 that wildfire activity this year was lower than recent peaks, but the department continues to face ambulance availability shortages, high EMS call volume and ongoing recruitment and retention work as it prepares to add a fourth firefighter shift in 2026.
Chief Kevin Kavan of Eugene‑Springfield Fire gave City Council members an update on wildfire response, ambulance service pressures and staffing at the council’s Oct. 6 work session.
Kavan said the department finished an extended fire season — extended to Oct. 15 — that was less destructive than recent peak years. “In 2024 there were 16 total conflagrations for 1,300,000 acres burned,” he said, and so far this year the department has deployed to six fires with 21 members for about 55 days. He told council that only four homes were lost in one dynamic wildfire (the Flat Fire near Sisters) because of the collective state response and earlier local efforts.
Kavan said fire prevention work in Springfield has expanded, including a defensible‑space program started in 2024 that has assessed more than 100 properties in the city, with more than half of owners implementing…
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