High Point fire chief highlights accreditation, zero 2024 fire fatalities and outreach in annual report

Fire Chief Brian Evans reported to the Prosperity, Livability and Safety Committee that the High Point Fire Department responded to 16,515 incidents in 2024 and recorded about 35,020 unit responses, while maintaining national accreditation and an ISO Class 1 rating.

In his presentation, Fire Chief Brian Evans said the department uses data analytics and 250 performance indicators from the Center for Public Safety Excellence to measure performance and continuous improvement. "If you had to measure success of High Point Fire Department, what metrics would you use?" Evans asked the committee before outlining staffing, operations and community programs.

Why it matters: Evans said the combined national accreditation and ISO Class 1 rating — assessments he said are conducted by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) and the Insurance Services Office/Verisk, respectively — helps the city and local businesses by lowering insurance costs and signaling a high level of preparedness. He told the committee the department is one of roughly 120 nationwide with both recognitions.

Operational details: Evans described the department's footprint as 19 facilities with 14 fire stations, organized into three battalion districts and 19 companies serving 24/7 shifts. He said the department staffs three shifts with 72 personnel assigned per shift and that the city has approved 12 overhire positions to reduce staffing lags caused by retirements. Evans said the department was “plus 3” on staffing at the time of the report, and that 23 recruits were in training (nine expected to graduate June 12; 14 expected to graduate late in the year).

Responses and incidents: Evans said medical calls were the largest category in 2024, with 9,232 medical responses reported. He listed roughly 2,200 false alarms, a category of "good intent" calls and other service calls, and said the department recorded 534 fires in 2024, of which 28 were classified as structure fires. Evans also reported zero fire fatalities in 2024 and noted three fire fatalities had occurred so far in 2025.

Prevention and inspections: The department's community risk reduction work, led by the fire marshal's office, included installations of 315 smoke detectors and 301 batteries for homes without working detectors, for a total of 616 battery and smoke-detector installs in 2024. Evans said the office performed more than 1,000 plan reviews and recorded about 5,500 code violations in the year; he said plan reviews covered about 779,000,000 square feet (as reported).

Specialized capabilities and future tools: Evans highlighted the department's all-hazards capabilities — including a hazardous materials/technical rescue team, a dive team that uses a remotely operated vehicle, and trench/confined-space certifications requiring three annual entries — and showed a short video describing "drone first responder" systems. He said High Point currently has two DJI drones (a Mini 3 without thermal capability and a model with thermal capability), which the chief said cost about $4,000 each. Evans also described a larger, integrated drone-first-responder (DFR) system shown in the video and said technology like that can cost about $30,000 (as described in the presentation).

Community engagement and reaccreditation: Evans said public education events reached more than 70,000 people in 2024. He told the committee the department is in a reaccreditation process and has issued a community survey for public input as part of the Center for Public Safety Excellence requirements. Evans directed residents seeking smoke-detector assistance to the department website form and said fire marshal staff install detectors on Wednesdays; he also said the department planned a smoke-detector canvas in early June in neighborhoods including the Barbee Avenue area (date not specified).

Committee response and next steps: Council Member Patrick Harmon, sitting in for Chair Monica Peters, and Councilman Johnson thanked the chief and department members for the report. Johnson said he appreciated the presentation and the risks firefighters accept. Evans said the department will continue community risk reduction, pursue reaccreditation, and consider expanded drone capabilities in the future.

No formal actions or votes were taken during the informational item.