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Riverside fire chief warns city is understaffed as calls rise; master plan proposes 84 immediate hires
Summary
A 550‑page master plan presented to council shows rising call volumes and concurrency, a current firefighter ratio below regional peers, and recommends a phased plan starting with 84 additional firefighters, six station projects and $26.1 million for Phase 1.
Riverside’s fire chief delivered a stark assessment on Jan. 13: the department’s capacity has not kept pace with growth and risk, and without immediate investment response reliability will deteriorate.
Chief Steve McInister and AP Triton consultant Rich Buchanan summarized the master plan’s key findings. The department responded to roughly 44,670 calls in 2024 and exceeded 47,000 calls in 2025; average response time increased from 7:18 in 2024 to 7:37 in 2025, versus a six‑minute gold standard for critical incidents. McInister told council, “If we do not act, we will not be able to meet the level of service the community expects and deserves.”
The study benchmarks staffing at about 0.669 firefighters per 1,000 residents — below peer cities and below the study’s recommended 0.95 per 1,000. To close the immediate gap, Phase 1 would add 84 firefighters to reach 309 total, seven new units, and six station projects; the presentation estimated an additional $26.1 million would be needed to implement Phase 1 in 2026. Phase 2 would add 58 additional firefighters over a 10‑year horizon to sustain a 0.95 ratio as the city grows.
Councilmembers and union representatives praised the data‑driven approach. Firefighters and union leaders told the council the department has been operating under growing strain that increases risk to residents and personnel. The council did not take action on funding during the meeting; members asked staff to incorporate the master plan recommendations into upcoming budget discussions.
What happens next: staff and council will use the master plan as a roadmap in budget deliberations and to sequence station projects, staffing hires and funding options.
