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Pasco Fire Chief outlines staffing, call volumes and community programs
Summary
The Pasco Fire Chief said the department has about 100 staff across five stations, handled roughly 8,337 calls last year (about 65% medical), and runs programs including a two-person Resource Navigator team to reduce unnecessary ER visits and repeated 911 demand.
The Pasco Fire Chief delivered a departmental update saying the fire department employs about 100 people across five stations and responded to roughly 8,337 calls last year covering about 34 square miles of Pasco.
The chief said, “We have a total of a 100, staff here out of 5 stations,” and that about 65% of the department’s calls were emergency medical services. He described the department as an "all-hazards" organization that handles fire, EMS and specialty rescue responses including technical rescue and water rescue.
A central community program the chief highlighted is the Resource Navigator program, a contracted service with two navigators who connect frequent 911 callers to social services such as food, clothing and help obtaining documents. The chief said the goal is to provide a third option beyond law enforcement or hospital transport for callers who do not need those interventions, reducing strain on emergency rooms and 911 capacity.
The update also covered training and regional cooperation: the department participates in a regional fire academy for recruits and maintains automatic and mutual aid agreements with neighboring cities to handle large incidents.
The presentation concluded with the chief noting several administrative projects under way — including updating interlocal agreements and SOPs — and that staff will return to the council with specific agreement updates in the coming months.
The briefing provided the council with a broad view of operational priorities, the preponderance of EMS work, and programs aimed at diverting non-emergency demand from emergency systems.
