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Fire chief: Lake Elsinore averaged 4.6-minute response time; fuel-break crews treated 15 acres
Summary
Riverside County Fire reported 1,769 incidents from Jan. 1 to March 31, a 4.6-minute average response time, mutual-aid statistics and progress on the Lake Elsinore fuel break; Cal Fire crews and CDCR crews are working portions of the fuel-break program, staff said.
Riverside County Fire officials told the Lake Elsinore City Council on Tuesday that the department responded to 1,769 incidents from Jan. 1 through March 31, averaged a 4.6-minute response time across the city and continued work on a fuel-break program near residential areas.
Chief Dustin Reed presented quarterly incident statistics and mutual-aid numbers for the first quarter. "You had a total of 1,769 incidents within the city of Lake Elsinore," Reed said. He said medical aid calls composed about 75 percent of the call volume, vehicle collisions about 9 percent and the city experienced nine vegetation fires and four residential structure fires during the period.
Reed outlined automatic and mutual aid activity with neighboring agencies: he reported assistance provided to and by Menifee, Wildomar and Riverside County resources, and noted Lake Elsinore crews assisted Canyon Lake 19 times while Canyon Lake assisted Lake Elsinore eight times in the quarter.
On fuels reduction, Reed said crews have treated 15 acres for the Lake Elsinore fuel-break project, indicating the treated area is narrow and directly behind homes in some neighborhoods. He described the work as part of a larger multi-hundred-acre program that uses a combination of county-funded contractors, Cal Fire agreements and crews from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). "We've treated 15 acres. However, that 15 acres from the backs of the communities' homes, it's from 0 feet to 300 feet that they're working on that," Reed said.
Reed also addressed longer-term wildfire response strategy, noting a shift toward year-round fire season and expanded aviation resources. "I don't see the fire season being six months anymore. I don't see it being nine months anymore. It's gonna continue to just be a year round fire season," Reed said, adding that aircraft and rapid vegetation dispatch help keep small fires small.
Council members thanked Reed and his staff; no council action was required. Reed said the department will continue coordinating with county partners and contractors to expand fuel-break work and maintain mutual-aid arrangements.
Key figures from the report: 1,769 incidents (Jan. 1'Mar. 31 2025), 4.6-minute average response time, 129 vehicle collisions, nine vegetation fires, four residential structure fires; 15 acres treated on Lake Elsinore fuel-break to date, part of a larger multi-hundred-acre program involving county grants and contracted crews.
Questions and next steps: Reed said pricing, crew assignments and further acreage to be treated depend on grant schedules and agreements with Cal Fire and CDCR crews.
