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Groves Fire Chief presents 2024 annual report; department flags aging radios and apparatus costs
Summary
Fire Chief Keith presented the Groves Fire Department 2024 annual report to council, citing lower call volume than prior years, an average response time of 3 minutes 49 seconds, an estimated fire loss total of $551,802 and equipment needs including aging radios and engines.
Groves — Fire Chief Keith presented the Groves Fire Department’s 2024 annual report to the City Council on Feb. 24, outlining call activity, staffing changes, equipment needs and plans to expand commercial inspections.
Keith told the council the department responded to fewer calls in 2024 than in some prior years and provided a breakdown of incident types. He reported an average dispatch‑to‑arrival time of 3 minutes, 49 seconds and an estimated total fire loss of $551,802 for 2024. The department provided automatic aid 19 times to a neighboring station in Fort Banks (Keland), and received automatic aid 10 times, the chief said.
Personnel changes noted in the presentation included the retirement of Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Kevin Moore after 29 years and the hiring of Paula Washburn as assistant fire chief and head fire marshal; Justin Dornay filled one open position. Chief Keith also named Hayden Grove as the department’s 2024 Fireman of the Year and said firefighter Daniel Coleso logged the most training hours (87 hours, 45 minutes).
Chief Keith highlighted equipment and long‑term capital needs. He said 14 radios purchased in 2012 are obsolete and will need replacement; the department is exploring lower‑cost Kenwood radios versus Motorola units. He said a new pump is ordered to replace a 2005 engine, and noted that a bare‑bones front‑line engine today can cost about $1.1 million. The department plans to stagger future engine purchases to avoid purchasing multiple apparatus at once.
Keith also described a planned expansion of commercial building inspections using new tablets and software that he said could cut inspection time from roughly three hours to about 15–20 minutes. He emphasized that inspections are intended to improve safety, not to penalize business owners, and said the department will work with owners to address issues.
Council asked clarifying questions about redundancy and the need to replace components immediately; staff said the wastewater plant and other systems have redundancy but some radio and apparatus replacements will be required over the coming years.
