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Woodland fire and police chiefs report improved containment and staffing challenges
Summary
Fire Chief Eric Zan reported a 95% structure-fire containment rate and about $46 million in property saved for July–Dec 2025; Police Chief Brian Canan described staffing shortages, 33,000 community calls last year and a drop in the unsheltered point-in-time count from 251 to 154.
The Woodland Fire and Police departments presented semiannual reports to the City Council on Feb. 17 detailing operational performance, staffing, and community outreach.
Fire Chief Eric Zan said the department responded to roughly 4,300 calls from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, highlighted an improvement in average response times (about 4 minutes 35–37 seconds) and reported that structure fires were contained to the room of origin 95% of the time — well above the department goal of 80%. Zan said the department estimated about $46 million in property value saved during the period and described training initiatives, a new ladder truck in service, and staffing actions including one lateral hire and four recruits currently in the regional academy.
Police Chief Brian Canan provided year-over-year comparisons for 2024 versus 2025, reporting that the department ended the year with 13 staffing shortages (authorized strength 72 sworn officers, roughly 60 on duty), approximately 33,000 community-generated calls for service and increases in officer-initiated activity such as traffic stops. Canan said arrests included 1,438 misdemeanor and 705 felony adult arrests. He also reported a point-in-time reduction in unsheltered people counted in Woodland from 251 to 154 and described the city’s homeless outreach and co-responder efforts.
Why it matters: The fire statistics suggest strong fire-containment performance with meaningful property saved, while police figures show persistent staffing and response-time pressures that could affect service levels and community interactions. Council members praised first-responder work and asked follow-ups about hiring, training, and community education on new risks such as lithium-ion battery fires.
Quotes: "We responded to a little over 4,300 calls for service during this time period," Fire Chief Eric Zan told the council. Police Chief Brian Canan noted staffing challenges: "We're approved for 93 full time staff members...we ended with 13 shortages."
Next steps: Chiefs will continue recruitment and training efforts; the fire chief said the city will return later this year with proposed MOU and contract terms for regional fire protection agreements. Council members commended outreach efforts and asked staff to continue reporting on staffing and response-time metrics.
