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Salinas Fire Department reports near-18,000 calls in 2025, highlights 50 cardiac field saves
Summary
Fire Chief Sam Klemick told the council the department responded to 17,858 calls in 2025, including nearly 12,000 EMS calls; staffing ratios remain below national standards (0.58 firefighters per 1,000 residents), response times exceed national benchmarks in many areas, and Division Chief Stephen Christie reported 50 cardiac-arrest field saves in 2025.
Fire Chief Sam Klemick and EMS Division Chief Stephen Christie presented a review of the Salinas Fire Departments 2025 operations on May 5, highlighting call volume, staffing, equipment orders and EMS outcomes.
Klemick said the department had 108 personnel (98 suppression staff and 10 professional/civilian staff) and daily apparatus that include six engines, two ladder trucks and one battalion chief. He told the council that the department responded to 17,858 calls in 2025, with EMS accounting for nearly 12,000 of those. "Our staffing per population is currently at 0.58 [firefighters per 1,000 residents]," Klemick said, below national (1.2) and regional (0.97) standards.
Klemick outlined apparatus procurement supported by council funding: orders placed for Type 6 wildland unit, Type 1 engine and ladder trucks arriving in phases through 2027 and later. He also said response-time metrics remained above national response-time goals in many neighborhoods, and that station-location changes (temporary rehousing during station renovation and a pilot for Engine 7) affect performance data.
Division Chief Stephen Christie highlighted EMS performance: the department recorded 50 cardiac-arrest field saves in 2025, representing a 41% success rate when resuscitation was attempted (50 of about 122 attempts), compared with national averages of roughly 23% to 29%. "This is something that we train on every month," Christie said, praising personnel training and paramedic promotions.
Why it matters: The report shows high EMS demand and continuing pressure on staffing and response times, supporting investment and planning decisions for apparatus and station locations.
What happens next: The council will review further data and the department will continue monitoring response-time trends and implementation of apparatus and staffing plans; the meeting continued the remainder of items to May 12.
