Grand Rapids fire chief reports 25,415 incidents in 2024; emergency manager to leave city

Chief Brown presented the Grand Rapids Fire Department—s 2024 annual report to the city—s Committee for Public Safety, saying the department responded to 25,415 incidents and nearly 35,000 apparatus responses last year.

Brown said the department recorded $381,000,000 in property and contents saved within the city, and that March 7 was this year—s "breakeven date" — the date the department had saved more property and contents than the city—s annual general-fund budget. "I like to report out on what we saved and kinda flip the script on that," Brown said.

The report also noted civilian harm: "we did experience deaths and injuries in the city, during 2024 due to fires. 6 civilian injuries and 1 death," Brown said, adding these are treated as people, not statistics.

Why it matters: The report is part of the department—s accreditation and public-accountability work. It outlines trends that officials said drive staffing, station siting and community-risk reduction work, from smoke-alarm installs to technical-rescue training.

Key findings and context

- Incident volume and responses: Brown said the department logged 25,415 incidents and nearly 35,000 apparatus responses in 2024. He showed a steady year-over-year increase in calls, with higher call density in the downtown core and in the city—s Third Ward near the Kendall Station development.

- Property saved: Brown reported the department estimated $381 million in property and contents saved by fire responses; he identified March 7 as the date the department had saved more property and contents than the city—s annual general-fund budget.

- Civilian injuries and death: The department recorded six civilian injuries and one civilian death from fires in 2024, which Brown emphasized the department takes "very seriously." The report did not give names or locations for those incidents.

- Medical calls and cardiac arrest outcomes: The department logged 342 cardiac arrests in the city in 2024 and reported a return-of-spontaneous-circulation (ROSC) rate of about 49% for witnessed events. Brown compared that to national averages in the mid-30s and said the city—s performance is above the national average.

- Structure-fire tracking changes: Brown noted a methodological change in tracking structure fires tied to guidance from the National Fire Incident Reporting System; categories shifted and affected counts. He said counts of fires requiring active suppression changed (examples cited: previously 368, later reported as 263, then 238) because of new categorization, not necessarily because fires declined.

- Special operations and technical rescues: Brown said the department expanded elevator-rescue response beginning in 2023 after reviewing the risk profile downtown and training crews. He described technical rescue, water rescue and hazardous-materials response as low-frequency, high-risk operations that require specialized training.

- District call patterns and capacity watch-list: The report showed La Grave (downtown) as the busiest district, with Kalamazoo second and Bridal busy on the near West Side. Brown said the Leonard district in the far northeast (Knapp—s Corner) has rising call volume and is on the department—s watch list for potential future staffing changes; he said no immediate additional unit was being ordered.

- Performance metrics: Brown reported first-unit-on-scene metrics around 70% concentration, multiunit responses at about 92.5% and overall reliability near 85%. He flagged that standards and tracking methods change over time and noted asterisks on data when goals or measures change.

Community risk reduction and prevention

Brown highlighted prevention work: the department installed more than 8,000 smoke alarms in 2024, conducted more than 1,000 risk assessments and delivered 873 in-home safety assessments and installations in private residences. He described crews addressing small hazards, such as items placed near water heaters and blocked egress.

Staffing and recruitment

Brown described active recruitment programs: applications had been open only weeks but already showed more than 40 applicants for the cadet program and more than 300 for firefighter positions (he said he expected 700900 in total applications eventually). He said the department trains many recruits who lack prior certification and that model is intentional: "we still train people off the streets to be firefighters." Recent academy hiring: 19 recruits started in January and 16 remained as they progressed through training; Brown said they are over halfway through fire training and EMT classes and expected to staff the new Kendall Station this summer.

Staff and program departures

Chief Brown called up Emergency Manager Allison Feroli, who announced she is leaving the city to become a director of emergency management and homeland security in Minnesota. "Emergency management is not just a job to me, it's a career and a passion," Feroli said, thanking staff and the city for the opportunity.

Committee discussion and next steps

Committee members asked about the homeless outreach team embedded in the fire department; the city manager said the team was founded and remains housed in fire but that its long-term placement (fire, community development or another office) will be discussed in the budget process. Commissioners also thanked the department for smoke-alarm efforts and praised community-outreach work.

Ending

Brown closed by thanking his planning and data teams, including Lieutenant McIntyre and Captain Myers, for assembling the report. The department did not propose new ordinances or immediate staffing additions during the presentation; officials said they would continue monitoring district data and raise staffing recommendations as needed in future budget discussions.