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Reno Fire Department summarizes 2024 operations, EMS and training gains; city outlines new public safety center plan
Summary
Fire Chief Case Cochran delivered a 2024 report highlighting wildfire support deployments, promotions and training, an expanded prevention program and a FEMA grant for a community wildfire protection plan. City staff also described planning for a new central fire station (455 E. Segga Street) to open in 2027 and equipment upgrades to improve all‑‑
Reno Fire Department Chief Case Cochran presented the department’s 2024 overview and progress on training, prevention, emergency medical services and fleet modernization.
Chief Cochran said RFD supported a large wildland response in 2024—deploying 264 resources to more than 100 wildland fires and logging more than 65,000 hours of incident work with nearly $2 million in reimbursements for mutual aid deployments. He reported 51,737 calls for service within the city for the year, an increase of roughly 2,000 calls over the prior year.
Cochran and RFD leadership described workforce and training developments: promotions (11 captains and eight operators promoted), 25 new firefighters hired, expanded academies for apparatus operators and acting captains, and expanded company‑level training including active‑shooter and wide‑area search. The department has upgraded training facilities at Station 11 and expanded preventive health initiatives for firefighters including cancer screenings and coronary calcium scans. RFD reported receiving a FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to develop a community wildfire protection plan.
The EMS division recorded roughly 30,649 calls; new medical equipment and an updated charting platform were implemented to enhance advanced life‑support delivery. Logistics and support services added brush trucks and a new ambulance under the apparatus replacement program; RFD also plans to introduce a heavy rescue apparatus in 2025.
Chief Cochran and staff briefed the council on long‑range facility planning: the city has received keys to a downtown parcel at 455 E. Segga Street identified as the future central fire station, with a projected opening in 2027. Cochran highlighted interlocal agreements—RFD’s expanded agreement with the Reno‑Tahoe Airport Authority and an automatic‑aid arrangement with Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue—that expand regional response capacity.
No formal action was required of council during the presentation; staff said they will continue grant work, training programs and planning for the new central station and apparatus replacements.
