City of Gonzales
FIRE DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: November 18, 2024
FROM: Jason Muscio, Fire Chief
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Fire Department Activity Report
RESPONSES
There were 72 calls for service during the Month of October, bringing the total number of calls for calendar year 2024 to 706. There was 1 vehicle fire, 36 EMS calls, 3 hazardous conditions calls, 16 service calls, 10 calls cancelled in route, and 5 false alarms. The department responded to a serious vehicle accident which resulted in a civilian fatality on October 19th. There were two instances of simultaneous calls requiring assistance from our mutual aid partners.
DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS
All full-time positions are filled. Steven Halcon was promoted from acting Captain to permanent Captain after achieving the highest score of the competitive selection process. We have one active volunteer firefighter. Crews trained on drafting, forward hose lays, and vehicle extrication using the new grant funding vehicle extrication tools. Water tender 8141 is currently out of service due to a broken PTO driveline, we expect repairs to be completed the week of November 11th. After accident repairs were completed to Engine 8112 and the unit is currently on reserve status. All other apparatus remains in service without the need for significant repairs. Eight annual fire inspections for local businesses were conducted during the month.
COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT
The Fire Department assisted the recreation department with the set and takedown of the inflatable screen for the drive-in movie and participated in the annual Fall Festival downtown. The department also assisted the school district with providing traffic control for both the Homecoming and Halloween parades.
AGENDA
ITEM
10 GRANTS
New extrication equipment has been purchased by the grant awarded to the department by the California Office of Traffic Safety. This equipment has been received, all personnel have been trained, and the equipment has been placed in front line service. The Fire Chief received notification from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program (funded by DHS/FEMA), that our grant application for the purchase of a new fire engine was denied. Staff plans on applying for the grant again as soon as the application period opens.