Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Fire topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Winters Fire Department highlights training gains, response times and new hires in 2025 report
Summary
Fire Chief Jack Snyder reported improved response times, expanded training (up ~65% to 2,100 hours), new hires that increased career staffing to nine, and multiple grants — including $95,000 for an exhaust system — in the 2025 annual report presented to council.
The Winters Fire Department reported staffing gains, increased training hours and several grants in its 2025 annual overview presented to the council.
Fire Chief Jack Snyder told the council the department handled nearly 1,100 calls in 2024 and saw a modest decline in call volume the following year but maintained rapid response times (average 2 minutes, 55 seconds from alarm to en route). Training hours increased by roughly 65% year‑over‑year, and the department used grants to fund safety and training improvements, including a roughly $95,000 exhaust extraction system for the station and grant support for a training center and safety equipment.
Snyder noted the department’s emphasis on community risk reduction — senior health checks, youth engagement and hands‑only CPR for students — and said that recent hires (two engineers and one firefighter) brought the department’s career roster to nine, improving shift coverage and morale. He also announced Mario Patel as the department’s 2025 Firefighter of the Year.
Councilmembers and members of the public thanked the department for improved response times and community outreach. Snyder said the report will be published in Spanish and that the department expects delivery of a new engine in late May or early June.
