9/16/2026
1 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
1 RiversideCA.gov
RiversideCa.gov
City Council
October 6, 2026
FIRE DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
& EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
2025 YEAR IN REVIEW
Fire Chief Steve McKinster
RiversideCA.gov/Fire
2 Mission, Vision & Core Values
Mission
The mission of the City of Riverside Fire Department is to protect life, property, and the environment by providing exceptional and progressive, all-hazard emergency
services, public education, and safety programs.
Vision
The City of Riverside Fire Department
is committed to providing
professional and equitable service
to its diverse community.
Core Values
Accountability – Honesty –Trustworthiness – Integrity
Professionalism – Teamwork - Respect
These principles guide how we serve the community,
support one another, and make decisions each day.
1 2
9/16/2026
2 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
3 Department at a Glance
7 reserve engines, 1 reserve ladder
truck, 1 reserve rescue ambulance
Serving Riverside Everyday
All front-line emergency response
units are ALS with paramedic
personnel
13 engines • 4 ladder trucks • 3 rescue ambulances
Supported by 2 Battalion Chief command vehicles
216 operations personnel
and 54 administrative
and support personnel
270
Authorized
FTEs
Staffing emergency-response
units across 14 fire stations
72 Personnel on
Duty Daily
100%
Advanced Life
Support Capability
9 Reserve Fire
Apparatus
20 Staffed
Front-Line Units
RiversideCA.gov/Fire
4 ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
3 4
9/16/2026
3 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
5 FOURTEEN FIRE STATIONS
RiversideCA.gov/Fire
6 Record Emergency & EMS Activity
• Highest annual emergency activity in department history • 5.28% increase compared with 2024 • Department resources responded to an emergency approximately every 11 minutes • Increasing call concurrency continued to affect unit availability and response performance
• 31,191 emergency medical incidents • 24,619 patient transports • 36,454 electronic patient-care reports completed • EMS remained the department’s
largest area of emergency activity
Growing EMS demand continues to influence staffing, deployment, unit availability, and overall system reliability
Responding to Growing Community Demand
Emergency
Medical Services 47,026
Requests for Service
5 6
9/16/2026
4 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
7 2025 Accomplishments
Advance Service, Technology, and Readiness
• Maintained CFAI accreditation and ISO Class 1 status
• Implemented Tablet Command to improve incident management, resource accountability, and situational awareness
• Developed the Riverside Fire Department Master Plan
• Procured three Type 1 squad ambulances and five Type 1 fire engines • Completed SCBA upgrades to meet current NFPA standards • Established dedicated Medical Director for EMS oversight • Adopted updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps and a defensiblespace ordinance • Finalizing the 2023–2028 Strategic Plan
These investments strengthened emergency response,
firefighter safety, and community resilience
RiversideCA.gov/Fire
8 Workforce, Training & Operational Readiness
Investing in Our People
• 21 new hires
• Three promotional examinations
• New Deputy and Training Chief • Expanded our EMS Division • 102,490 total training hours completed • 27 standard operating procedures updated
Operational Training Highlights
• Wildland and incident-command training
• Hazardous-materials refresher training
• High-rise and commercial big-box operations
• Multiple-casualty response
• Auto extrication
• Swiftwater and technical rescue
• Railroad emergency response • Career-survival training 7 8
9/16/2026
5 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
9 US&R & OEM Divisions
Urban Search and Rescue
• Kentucky Flooding
• Kerr County Flooding
• Washington Flooding
Office of Emergency Service
• (2) EOC Activations
• (3) Federal Public Assistance Recovery Grants
• (23) Outreach Events
Urban Area Security Initiative Regional Training
• 50 Classes with 1,165 public safety, first responders, emergency managers and EOC staff trained. • 4 Conferences with 22 people trained RiversideCA.gov/Fire
10 Wildfire Prevention & Community Risk Reduction
• Adopted updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps
• Implemented a defensible-space ordinance and inspection program • Expanded wildfire education and preparedness outreach • Strengthened vegetation-management standards in high-risk areas • Increased communication with residents in Riverside’s wildland-urban interface Strengthening Riverside’s Resilience
Prevention Activity
• 3,625 fire and life-safety inspections
• 2,280 fire plan reviews
• 1,200 new-construction inspections
• 582 hazardous-materials inspections
• 168 special-event permits
• 71 complaint investigations
9 10
9/16/2026
6 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
11 Master Plan and Future Growth
A Data-Driven Roadmap for the Future
The Riverside Fire Department Master Plan evaluated: • Emergency-response performance • Call volume and call concurrency • Staffing and apparatus deployment • Fire-station locations and facility conditions • Population growth and projected service demand • Unit reliability and resource availability Key Priorities
Increase operational staffing and response capacity • Improve unit availability and reliability • Modernize aging stations, facilities, and apparatus • Identify locations for future fire stations • Strengthen EMS deployment and transportation reliability • Align future investments with Riverside’s continued growth RiversideCA.gov/Fire
12 Looking Forward: 2026 & Beyond
• Emergency Services Ambulance
Alliance Model • Begin implementing Master Plan
recommendations
• Expand emergency-response capacity
• Improve EMS and ambulance-system
reliability
• Continue apparatus and utility-fleet
modernization
• Advance future fire-station and facility
projects
• Strengthen wildfire prevention and defensiblespace programs • Recruit, develop, and retain a highly qualified
workforce
• Develop new Strategic Plan
• Preserve CFAI accreditation and ISO Class 1
performance
Building the Future of Emergency Service Delivery
Our Commitment To remain a leader in providing progressive, professional, and exceptional fire-rescue and life-safety services
11 12
9/16/2026
7 RiversideCA.gov/Fire
13 MONIQUE MORRISON-COOK
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
ADMINSTRATIVE PERSONNEL
GREG WHITE
DIVISION CHIEF
SWORN PERSONNEL
2025 EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR The picture can't be displayed. 13