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Sierra Madre Fire Department reports staffing increases, expanded ALS capacity and new subscription plan
Summary
Fire Chief James Bartlett presented the department’s 2024 annual report: the department is staffed with 18 full‑time professionals, responded to 1,550 calls (65% medical), added an ALS‑equipped engine and rolled out a tiered paramedic subscription program to reduce out‑of‑pocket transport costs for residents.
Fire Chief James Bartlett told the Sierra Madre City Council that the Fire Department closed 2024 with expanded capabilities, higher call volume and a focus on training and preparedness.
The department, Bartlett said, currently operates with 18 full‑time personnel: 1 chief, three captains, three engineers, nine firefighter‑paramedics and two administrative staff. In 2024 the department responded to roughly 1,550 incidents, up from 1,454 the prior year, and medical calls made up about 65% of the workload.
Bartlett highlighted budget and cost‑recovery figures. Fiscal year 2024‑25 spending for the department totaled about $3.8 million; staff reported EMS transport and related recoveries of roughly $634,000 — about 21% of the department’s budget. Bartlett and council discussed continuing efforts to increase cost recovery while protecting access to care.
The department recently converted Engine 41 from an assessment engine to a fully equipped advanced life support (ALS) medic engine, Bartlett said, which increases on‑scene ALS capacity and can provide interventions while an ambulance is engaged elsewhere. Bartlett described an updated tiered community paramedic subscription program that will begin in the new fiscal year with individual, couples, family, low‑income and business tiers designed to lower or eliminate out‑of‑pocket transport costs for enrolled residents and businesses.
On training, Bartlett said firefighters nearly doubled the department’s ISO‑required training hours and expanded interagency drills, live burn training at regional facilities and regional arson investigations with a dedicated investigator. Prevention work in 2024 included nearly 1,942 inspections covering apartments, defensible‑space checks and AB‑38 inspections required for certain home sales in very‑high fire hazard zones.
Bartlett thanked staff and mutual‑aid partners for their work during recent wind, wildfire and debris‑flow events and told council the department will use post‑incident reviews and a department master plan to target upgrades and training in 2025.
“We are forward‑thinking organization committed to safety, education, and community well‑being,” Bartlett said in his presentation, and he asked the council to maintain the department’s strategic focus while staff carry out the new work plans.
