Goal update: Fire & emergency services

Carlsbad, CA

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Carlsbad’s City Council made it a top goal in 2021 to ensure fire and emergency medical services were ready to meet the community’s changing needs as the city’s demographics and population changes.

City staff are implementing measures to ensure fire and emergency medical services are ready to meet the community’s changing needs as the city’s demographics and population changes.

Background

The Fire Department recently completed a “Standards of Cover” evaluation, looking at current and future emergency response needs based on Carlsbad’s size, demographics and other factors. The evaluation found that to meet industry standards, the Fire Department needed a seventh fire station, ideally west of I-5, as well as more ambulances and personnel.

The current city budget includes about $4.5 million toward this goal, and additional investments will be phased in over time. You can read more about the City’s Council’s budget priorities (and the budget in general) in this “At a Glance” guide to the FY 2021-22 budget.

Current progress

Since July 1, 2021, the city has:

Placed two additional ambulances in service to increase the total number of city ambulances in service from three to five.
Hired nine new paramedic firefighters, three new full-time emergency medical technicians, and some additional part-time EMTs.
Converted an office in Fire Station No. 6 to a bedroom to accommodate the increase in personnel.
Secured a site for a temporary Fire Station 7 in the area of Cannon Road, west of the I-5. Building out and staffing the temporary station is tied to the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget and is set to be completed by January 2023.
The reconstruction of Fire Station 2 in La Costa is well underway and on track for completion by late 2022 with a larger, more efficient building that can better accommodate crews and equipment.

Next steps

Other steps toward meeting the goal that are further in the future include:

Procuring a new fire engine. The engine was ordered in fall 2022 and will be delivered in 2024.
Establishing a permanent Fire Station 7 near Cannon Road west of I-5. That could happen between 2026 and 2028, depending on several factors, including identifying a site and getting voter approval to spend money to build it. Carlsbad has a requirement that certain projects over $1 million must get voter approval in advance.

Past actions

More information

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