Encinitas fire chief reports rising call volume, battery-related garage fires and plan to revive CERT program

Chief Gordon, head of the Encinitas Fire Department, told the City Council that the department has seen higher overall call volume so far in 2025 and is seeing several new problem areas, notably fires started by lithium-ion batteries kept or charged in garages.

Gordon said the department logged about 1,401 incidents from January through a few days before the meeting and that 74% of the city’s call volume is medical. The department recorded seven structure fires so far in 2025, compared with 15 last year; he said most of this year’s structure fires have involved lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes, scooters and similar devices.

“The public service announcement is simple: keep lithium-ion batteries in protected places, avoid overcharging and stop using devices that have been damaged,” Gordon said.

Gordon presented department performance metrics, saying the average turnout time (from alert to wheels moving) was about 1 minute, 6 seconds, and the 90th percentile turnout was 1 minute, 54 seconds. Average travel time (wheels rolling to arrival) averaged about 4 minutes, 59 seconds with a 90th percentile of about 7 minutes, 1 second. He also said dispatch processing now often takes about 1 minute 30 to 1 minute 50 seconds because dispatchers collect more detailed triage information before sending the most appropriate resource.

Gordon noted that the department meets the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) four-minute first-arriving-engine standard roughly 41% of the time, and he emphasized mutual‑aid relationships with neighboring jurisdictions. The city receives more mutual-aid assistance than it gives, he said, noting frequent exchanges with Carlsbad, Del Mar, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach and San Diego County resources.

On marine safety, Gordon reported that Moonlight Beach and other shore areas were busy in 2024: marine safety staff recorded 993 “safety contacts” and handled minor medical aids and rescues without requiring a fire engine or ambulance 1,447 times; major medical aids requiring fire department response occurred 154 times. He added the department recorded 82 missing‑person incidents and 63 wildlife contacts during 2024.

Gordon described training and prevention work: the department logged about 18,265 hours of training across suppression, technical rescue, EMS and wildfire drills in 2024; fire prevention staff completed 831 annual and construction inspections and 2,284 permit reviews; fire investigators opened 15 investigations into individual fires; the department issued 149 vegetation violation notices and performed six forced abatements in 2024.

On emergency management, Gordon said the city audited its Emergency Operations Center and is refining procedures and technology. He highlighted countywide emergency alert adoption and urged residents to install Genesis Protect, the county’s public alert app. Gordon also said the department plans to reconstitute the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) under city management (rather than the prior state structure) and aims to run a new CERT academy in January of next year.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the rising per‑capita call rate and battery fire sources. Gordon said tourism and beach-related incidents increase call volume and that most battery fires involve smaller lithium-ion packs—bikes and scooters—though damaged and improperly charged electric vehicle batteries have caused fires in the past.

The presentation was for information; no council action was taken.