Truckee Meadows Fire reports steady call volumes, warns of mudslide risk and urges detector checks

Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue official Joe Shum updated the Verdi community on recent call volumes, staffing changes and seasonal safety concerns at the Washoe County forum.

Shum said the Truckee Meadows jurisdiction recorded about 47 calls in January and roughly 28 in February, with monthly averages generally in the mid-30s to mid-40s. He said emergency medical services accounted for the largest share of calls and that the area saw no structure fires during that period. “EMS calls tend to be our most prevalent,” Shum said.

The nut graf: Shum framed the numbers as routine activity while flagging near-term risks and operational changes the department is making to maintain coverage. He said the call totals were slightly affected by a computer-aided dispatch outage that required manual tabulation of some incidents.

In more detail, Shum told meeting attendees that the department logged about 27 medical calls and three motor-vehicle accidents in one of the recent months and reported one hazardous-materials response related to a gas leak. He said some calls were covered through auto-aid agreements with the City of Reno when the closest units cross jurisdictional lines.

Shum described personnel changes and recruitment plans: five recruits recently graduated the academy and are completing field training, promotions followed a battalion chief retirement (yielding a new battalion chief, a captain and an engineer), and the department expects to recruit another six to eight positions in the fall to stay ahead of anticipated retirements. “We do have our open recruitment right now,” he said.

On seasonal safety, Shum warned residents to be alert to mudslides in burn-scar zones after periods of snow and rain, and he recommended replacing smoke detectors older than 10 years and changing batteries now. He also cautioned that cisterns can be difficult for fire crews to use because they require special drafting hookups and can clog pumps; he advised residents considering cisterns to consult the fire-prevention division and their insurance carriers.

Ending: Shum closed by inviting follow-up questions and providing the county’s fire-prevention contact for homeowners seeking code and safety guidance. He said the department would continue its recruitment and training cycle and return with updates at future meetings.