Santa Paula Fire Chief presents fourth-quarter incident analysis; council asks about overdoses, EV fires and new Station 29

Fire Chief Williams presented the Santa Paula Fire Department's fourth-quarter incident analysis during the Feb. 5 council meeting, reviewing call volumes, recent wildland-urban interface incidents and department capabilities including a drone thermal-search program and progress on Fire Station 29 construction.

Williams reported that the department's quarterly call volume has remained steady in the 700s range and that medical responses — especially fall victims and overdoses/poisonings — form the largest share of calls. He said opioid overdoses countywide were down in 2023 and suggested that wider public availability of naloxone (Narcan) and public awareness likely contributed, while noting dispatch coding and initial call information determine call-type statistics.

On wildfire and brush fires, Williams explained many of the area's blazes occur in the river bottom and are often kept under one to a few acres; colder…