Interim fire chief reports Q2 response times, station upgrades and expanded recruit diversity

Jeffrey Siegel, interim chief of the Richmond Fire Department, presented the department’s second‑quarter FY25 performance to the Public Safety Standing Committee, detailing incident counts, response times, specialty calls, fleet status and training updates.

Siegel reported the department responded to 293 fire incidents and 5,222 emergency medical service incidents during the quarter. Median turnout time for all incidents was 49 seconds, median travel time was 3 minutes 23 seconds, and median total response time was 4 minutes 36 seconds. For the ninetieth percentile, Siegel gave turnout as 1 minute 27 seconds, travel time 7 minutes 1 second and total response 8 minutes 38 seconds.

For EMS calls specifically, the median turnout time was 54 seconds, median travel 3 minutes 34 seconds and median response 4 minutes 52 seconds; ninetieth percentile times for EMS were quoted as turnout 1 minute 32 seconds, travel 6 minutes 39 seconds and response 8 minutes 17 seconds.

Specialty responses for the quarter included eight water‑related calls (water rescues, watercraft rescues and searches), 69 technical rescue calls and nine hazardous‑materials responses. The fire investigations unit reported 14 arson‑related investigations; Siegel said the bureau’s arson case clearance rate was 57.14 percent for the period.

Siegel described fleet and facility status: the department maintains roughly 20 frontline engines and eight frontline truck companies (about 28 frontline apparatus total), with reserve units that in some cases date back to 1998. He said the department has five new engines on order (three expected in May–June and two more by fall 2025) and additional command vehicles in preparation that should be equipped and deployed in spring/early summer.

On facilities, Siegel said the city has about 25 fire stations with an average age of 37 years. Station 12 is in its final punch‑list stage and is expected to be completed “any week now,” and Station 21 is on track for a fall completion; both new stations include decontamination facilities, gyms, privacy features and community meeting space. Siegel said Station 12 won a design award from an industry organization.

Siegel highlighted training and recruitment: the fire academy class included a notably high number of women. He said “17 of the 29 recruits” in the presented class were female and later referred to the active class headcount as “about 24 recruits,” creating an internal inconsistency in the presentation; he and council members framed the program as moving the department above national averages for female career firefighters.

Siegel also noted the canine investigator Ernie remains in service pending replacement through a federal partnership with the ATF that has been delayed by federal budget constraints, and that the department continues regional coordination for water rescue with neighboring jurisdictions.

Committee members praised the training, the station design and the recruit class composition. Several members requested hard‑hat tours of the new stations. No formal motions or budget votes were taken during the presentation.