Richardson Fire Department saw an increase in calls for fire and emergency medical services in 2025, as well as a slight decrease in structure fires, Fire Chief Curtis Poovey reported to City Council on April 13.
The overview
In his annual report, Poovey said 2025 was a “busy year,” with the department seeing an increase in fire and EMS calls as well as unit responses. A little over 75% of the department’s 16,060 calls were for EMS, he said.
Richardson saw 60 structure fires across the city, a slight decrease from last year, Poovey said.
Poovey said 2025 was also “another great year” for saved property, estimating almost $257 million in saved property value compared to $4.8 million of property loss.
The fire department also carried out 43 investigations and made nine arrests last year, Poovey said, including a “serial arsonist” who they found had been responsible for fires in six different cities.
Diving in deeper
Assistant Chief of Operations Gene Senter said the increase in calls could be partially attributed to Richardson’s population growth, although the call volume is growing three times the rate of the population.
“We’re not the only city seeing this. This is one of the main dialogues that’s happening in North Texas,” Senter said. “That’s common [to see] the fire department call volume tripling what the population growth is, so it’s the nature of a city growing.”
Assistant Chief of Administration Robert Younger said there is also a correlation between Richardson’s aging population and the increased call volume, including calls for falls in the home, heart attacks and other medical assistance.
Looking ahead
Poovey gave an update on the city’s Fire Master Plan, which includes a proposal in the 2026 bond election for a station remodel, an apparatus storage building and design and future construction funds for a Fire Station 7.
Poovey said the department is aiming for $409,000 to be set aside in the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27 budget for two personnel additions, which will allow each shift to have an EMS captain and fill an administrative project applications manager role.
Poovey said the Richardson Fire Department also marked its hundredth anniversary on April 9, with a city celebration planned for June 27.