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Waco Fire Department reports busiest year yet, credits prevention for zero fire fatalities in 2025
Summary
Chief Robbie Bergerson told the City Council the Waco Fire Department answered a record 23,289 calls in 2025, averaged a 5:16 response time and recorded zero fire fatalities; he outlined health initiatives and 2026 priorities including new apparatus, Station 4 opening and SCBA replacement.
The Waco Fire Department had its busiest year on record in 2025, answering 23,289 calls for service while averaging a 5 minute, 16 second response time, Fire Chief Robbie Bergerson told the City Council on Jan. 20. Bergerson said the department recorded zero fire fatalities in 2025 and is on track to reach a nearly three‑year streak without a fire death if that trend continues through Feb. 23.
Bergerson said 2025 brought significant leadership changes—“a new fire chief, two new deputy fire chiefs, and a new training officer”—and staff stabilization has improved organizational efficiency, accountability and morale. The department added its 13th engine company when Fire Station 15 in far‑west Waco opened, took delivery of a $646,000 TIFMAS‑funded tactical tender and placed three Type‑6 brush trucks into service. The department also hired 14 firefighters in 2025, three of them newly funded positions.
The chief highlighted health and safety investments: an expanded cancer‑screening protocol (including tests for multiple cancers and esophageal screening) and more than $254,000 in extractor/exhaust equipment to reduce harmful exposures for firefighters. “We are becoming the gold standard of any fire department across the country in cancer prevention,” Bergerson said.
Looking to 2026, Bergerson said the department will open Station 4 on Sol Avenue, take delivery of five large apparatus, replace the entire inventory of self‑contained breathing apparatus and pilot lightweight paramedic squads to reduce strain during peak hours and improve patient care. He also noted a budgeted joint hire of a public‑safety psychologist shared with the Waco Police Department.
Council members praised the department’s record and asked follow‑up questions about service categories and equipment life cycles. Council discussed the department’s ISO rating and potential insurance‑savings impacts for residents; Bergerson provided operational detail but no estimate was presented by staff at the meeting.
The council did not take a formal vote on items tied to the presentation; next steps include continued implementation of the department’s equipment and station plans through the city’s budget and CIP processes.
