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Maplewood Fire Department reports jump in calls, highlights training and regional responses
Summary
The fire department told the council it had 2,258 total calls in 2025, including 1,165 EMS responses and 1,093 fire/rescue responses; staff reported expanded training, mutual-aid deployments and a near-term priority list that includes a shared training tower and possible fire authority.
Fire Chief Pete Marsack and Assistant Chief Matt Wilcox presented the Maplewood Fire Department’s 2025 annual report to the City Council on Feb. 24, detailing rising call volumes, training achievements and recent regional deployments.
Chief Marsack said the department achieved an ISO Class 2 rating, improved response metrics and increased staffing in 2025: the department logged 2,258 total calls (up from 2,029 in 2024), including 1,165 EMS responses and 1,093 fire/rescue responses. He reported an average turnout time of 55 seconds from dispatch to personnel running to apparatus, which the department said compares favorably to the regional average cited in the presentation.
The department added five personnel, completed four promotional processes and honored three retirements during the year. Training totals included 8,865 hours and 45 new certifications; 14 members became rescue technician specialists. Marsack described recent mutual-aid work including responses to the Arnold tornado, a Southeast Missouri outbreak and an F3 tornado in May 2025, as well as a large gas-main rupture in Big Bend in August 2025 where the department established a hazmat command post.
Council members asked about whether staffing is keeping pace with a roughly 10–12% year-over-year call increase and whether the expanded annual-report materials would be available online. Assistant Chief Wilcox said the department maintains a minimum staffing of five personnel per shift to ensure two trucks can respond and confirmed the expanded report was submitted in the council packet for later posting to the department website.
Chief Marsack closed by summarizing the department’s 2026 priorities: completion of a regional training tower, exploration of a possible fire authority, and evaluation of a shared reserve truck. Council thanked the department for the report; no action was required.
