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Columbia fire chief outlines 2025 surge in calls, proposes three‑phase Border Road station plan and new ladder truck
Summary
Chief Jenkins told the Columbia City Public Safety Committee that the fire department logged roughly 40,000 calls in 2025 (a 4.1% increase), maintained a Class 1 ISO rating and is proposing a three‑phase plan to add a ladder company and two new/relocated stations to close coverage gaps in the Border/Broad River corridor.
Columbia City Fire Chief Jenkins told the Public Safety Committee on Feb. 17 that the department responded to roughly 40,000 calls in 2025, up from about 38,000 in 2024 — a rise the chief described as a 4.1% increase — and said the department continues to hold a Class 1 ISO rating.
“we ran about 40 little over 40,000 calls,” Chief Jenkins said, adding that the increase included more structure fires and a property‑loss estimate the department put at "more than 18 million" with about $6 million in contents loss. He said Station 1 remained the top‑responding unit for the city.
Why it matters: Department leaders said response volumes and changing city development patterns are stressing current station locations and response standards. Presenters warned that failing to meet ISO response benchmarks — notably a four‑minute target for first‑unit arrival — could require additional stations or other investments to preserve the department’s rating and community protection levels.
Three‑phase Border/Broad River proposal: Fire staff proposed a staged approach for one of the city’s busiest corridors. The immediate first step would place a ladder company at existing Station 16 to improve ladder‑truck availability. The second phase would build a new Station 5 to close a geographic coverage gap and serve a large multifamily area. The third phase would relocate or replace aging Station 6 at a Batty Road site that staff say better accommodates modern hot/warm/cold‑zone design and gender‑inclusive facilities.
Staff tied the proposal to changes in a neighboring department’s ladder placement and to call‑volume data: presenters said the neighboring Irmo ladder’s new location means that, when that ladder responds into Columbia territory, it often cannot meet the city’s four‑minute standard and the city needs its own ladder coverage in the corridor.
Costs and timing: Department materials, included in the presentation packet, show the immediate cost driver as a ladder truck (staff estimated roughly $2 million per ladder truck) plus staffing; staff said the Station 16 option minimizes near‑term facility renovation. Construction costs and renovation estimates for Stations 5 and 6 were included in the space‑needs study and will be used to inform budgeting and joint city‑county review.
Other operational proposals: The department also proposed establishing a sixth battalion to provide on‑shift health and safety coverage and to support near‑miss and accident investigations. Staff said that proposal responds to recommendations from post‑incident reviews after a line‑of‑duty death and to the frequency of multiple concurrent working fires.
Next steps: Council members asked staff to share the full space‑needs study and station models with the joint city‑county fire committee for review and budget planning. The department said it will work with the city manager and the committee to prioritize phases and return with cost and timeline details.
Actions at the meeting: The committee approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and closed the meeting by roll call without additional formal votes on the station proposals. The department requested that the joint review committee vet funding and scheduling for the three‑phase plan.
