City of Gonzales
FIRE DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: September 18, 2023
FROM: Jason Muscio, Fire Chief
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Fire Department Activity Report
Emergency Response
August was a busy month for the Fire Department with a total of 61 calls for service, and a year-to-date total of 502 calls. We responded to 36 EMS related calls including medical emergencies and vehicle accidents, 8 service calls to assist the elderly or residents with mobility issues, 6 false fire alarms, 8 calls which we were dispatched and cancelled, or no emergency was present, 2 calls for hazardous conditions, and 1 structure fire. The structure fire occurred on August 3rd and involved a farm shop on Carr Road in the rural fire district, the shop was a total loss. The fire appeared to have started by workers doing welding in the shop earlier in the day and smoldering materials were left unattended. Good weather has continued to keep the number of vegetation fires surprisingly low for what is usually the peak of our fire season. We are beginning to see an uptick in the number of patients we encounter with COVID-19 or related symptoms.
Department Operations
There are currently no vacancies in our full-time staff, all positions have been filled and our new Firefighter Daniel Escobar has completed his introductory training and has been assigned to A shift.
Lieutenant Vasquez has been out on paternity leave for the birth of his son Noah since August 6th, and is expected to return on September 10th, Lieutenants Prader and Avina will be covering all of Vasquez’s shifts. We currently have two active volunteer firefighters who continue to work night shifts as their schedules allow. We have received one application for volunteer firefighter and will be beginning the hiring process for the applicant next month. Engine 8112 continues to be plagued with various mechanical issues and has only been in service for a few days in August. Skinner Equipment Repair replaced the brakes, cab hold down brackets, and repaired the coolant system. The ladder rack continues to have problems which result in the engine being unable to move due to built-in safety features. Our AGENDA
ITEM
9 City mechanic currently has Engine 8112 in his shop and is continuing to troubleshoot the problem and make repairs. Engine 8111 was briefly out of service for a repair to one of the tires.
Prevention and Community Engagement
There were 8 business inspections conducted during the month and few issues were found, none of them serious. 13 residential rental units were inspected, and no serious violations were found. Our Firefighters took part in the National Night Out Celebration, and assisted with the distribution of the fans that were donated to our residents.
Grants
We were awarded a grant in the amount of $6362 from the California Fire Foundation to purchase new wildland fire shelters for all our personnel. This grant covers the entire cost of the purchase of these vital pieces of safety equipment.