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Salinas fire chief warns rising call volume is stretching department; median response times exceed national standard
Summary
Fire Chief Shane van der Veen told the City Council the department handled nearly 18,000 calls in 2025, with medical calls dominating workload and a median fire response time of about 6 minutes 23 seconds—slower than the national five‑minute benchmark—prompting discussion of staffing, unit deployment and tradeoffs from traffic‑calming measures.
Fire Chief Shane van der Veen presented the Salinas Fire Department's 2025 annual report to the City Council on May 12, saying the department handled nearly 18,000 calls last year and that medical responses account for the majority of their workload.
"Our median response time is six minutes and 23 seconds," van der Veen said, noting the national guideline for many first‑alarm responses is about five minutes. He highlighted 153 residential structure fires in 2025 and an estimated $72 million in property at risk; department estimates of material loss last year totaled about $3.5 million.
The chief and division leaders described operational pressures: high levels of simultaneous calls (almost 6,000 two‑call days in 2025), heavy unit utilization for certain engines and the need to balance medical and fire response capacity. Van der Veen and deputy chiefs emphasized training and workforce investments: local paramedic training funded by the city, more than 1,000 hours of continuing education, and a revived cadet program that grew to 20 cadets in 2025.
Councilmembers pressed on options to improve availability and reduce response times. Councilmember questions focused on whether adding a multi‑role unit (engine 7, now piloted) and staffing changes could reduce simultaneous‑call impacts without sacrificing fire suppression ability. Van der Veen said the motorized, multiuse approach provides flexibility to respond to both medical and fire calls.
Speakers acknowledged tradeoffs between traffic‑calming measures and emergency response. Van der Veen told the council that physical traffic calming—speed humps, chicanes and similar devices—can slow emergency apparatus and increase response times; he urged that traffic‑calming choices be weighed against measured impacts on response times and that data inform placement.
The presentation also described community programs and recent capital work: a seismic retrofit and interior renovation of Station 1 (partly ARPA‑funded), new dormitory privacy and sprinklers, and a quieter, more efficient backup generator. The chief said roughly half of the Station 1 renovation cost was financed with ARPA funds and half with the city's CIP.
Several residents and councilmembers praised the department's outreach—fire station visits, training for municipal staff, Narcan distribution and Stop the Bleed training—and thanked firefighters for a high number of lives saved, including 50 documented cardiac‑arrest survivals in 2025. The chief said the success rate reflected equipment upgrades (mechanical CPR devices), medical protocol improvements and intensive training.
