Delano fire chief reviews 2025 operations and says city is considering a second station

Fire Chief Matt Van Lith delivered a year‑end review of Delano Fire Department operations at the March 2, 2026 meeting of the Delano Public Safety Commission. Chief Van Lith said the city is assessing how departmental operations may change in coming years and that those changes will help determine whether to build a second fire station and where it should be located.

The presentation covered 2025 operations and planning concerns; commissioners focused their questions on facilities and future service models. Commissioner Kallie Tapie asked directly whether the city is still considering a new station. Chief Van Lith responded that the city is “reviewing how FD operations will change in the future and that is a factor to consider and will help determine if we build a second station and the location.” The chief did not propose a specific site or timeline during the meeting.

The discussion did not include a formal vote or funding action. Commissioners did not record a motion related to station construction at this meeting; the transcript records only the chief’s presentation and commissioners’ clarifying questions. The commission’s next procedural steps were not specified in the transcript.

The exchange leaves planning questions open: whether Delano will commission a facilities study, how any new station would be funded, how response‑time modeling may change, and when the issue would return to the commission or city council for decisions were not specified in the meeting record. The Fire Department presentation and the question from Commissioner Tapie are expected to inform future budget and site discussions.