Apparatus shifts, data reforms and response time improvements take center stage in city’s updated emergency strategy as fire season nears
A series of fire deployment changes will take effect next week as the city works to reposition key apparatus, anticipate summer wildfire risks and strengthen how emergency response performance is measured, according to Folsom Fire Chief Jason Solak during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
In a detailed presentation that combined operational updates with candid reflections on performance tracking, Solak outlined immediate shifts in engine and truck placement along with longer-term reforms aimed at aligning Folsom more closely with national fire service standards.
“Our community expects operational readiness, administrative accountability and transparency,” Solak told council members. “We have to measure performance the right way and be honest about where we can improve.”
Beginning April 21, the department’s ladder truck will move from Station 34 in the Folsom Plan Area south of Highway 50 to Station 35 in the city’s central core. Station 34 will instead house an engine company positioned to better address wildfire exposure in the developing area south of the freeway. An engine currently assigned to Station 39 will relocate to Station 38, restoring engine coverage there after a prior brownout, and a medic unit will shift from Station 36 to Station 39 which will becoming a medic housing station, not an engine,to balance overall service demands.
The relocation corrects both traffic and coverage challenges. With only two main crossing routes over Highway 50, congestion along East Bidwell Street and Placerville Road has complicated northbound responses from the south side of the freeway. Placing the ladder truck centrally reduces travel barriers to commercial and multi-story structures that frequently require aerial apparatus support.
The truck had previously been assigned to Station 37, but Solak explained that the department’s newer model, while shorter in height than the prior apparatus, is longer and does not physically fit within Station 37’s bay. Renovations to that facility are planned so the truck can eventually return there.
Solak also clarified misconceptions about coverage reductions. While one engine company has been temporarily browned out due to financial constraints, no fire station itself has been closed.
The deployment shift comes as Folsom prepares for fire season, when call volumes historically increase between August and December, especially in areas south of Highway 50. Positioning an engine in that district ensures quicker initial suppression in wildfire-prone terrain.
Solak emphasized that the department’s decisions are guided by nationally recognized deployment models. Engine companies are ideally positioned within 1.5 miles of their primary response area, while truck companies operate within approximately 2.5 miles. Overlapping coverage areas allow neighboring stations to absorb concurrent calls when multiple incidents occur simultaneously.
Station 39, located near the city’s eastern edge, was originally built in anticipation of future growth and concurrency demands. Its placement was designed to provide resilience as Folsom expands.
The city also maintains an Insurance Services Office Class 2 rating — one tier below the highest national classification. ISO ratings reflect fire protection capability and can influence homeowners’ insurance premiums.
A substantial portion of Solak’s remarks focused on data accuracy. Under National Fire Protection Association benchmarks, fire units should arrive at high-priority emergencies within six minutes of a 911 call 90 percent of the time, meaning nine out of 10 urgent incidents are reached within that window.
Folsom collects response data through its Computer Aided Dispatch system, which records timestamps from call receipt through unit arrival. However, Solak acknowledged that while the department tracks averages, it has not fully implemented compliance filters that isolate urgent calls and first-due geographic assignments required for formal national compliance reporting.
In 2023, Folsom firefighters responded to 9,527 calls for service, producing more than 15,000 total unit responses, with an average arrival time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds. In 2024, nearly 10,000 calls were logged, and response times improved by about 30 seconds following the addition of an engine company. Early 2025 data showed continued improvement even though one engine was browned out for two months.
Solak cautioned that averages alone can create an incomplete picture.
“Averages can generate false confidence,” he said. “They show trends, but they don’t necessarily show reliability.”
To address that, the department is working with a data specialist to implement stricter reporting standards that better align with national compliance measures. Solak described the effort as reversing “normalization of deviance,” a gradual drift from strict best practices that can occur when staffing pressures and daily emergency demands overshadow administrative oversight.
“When staffing levels tighten, emergency response becomes the priority,” he said. “But we can’t lose sight of policy adherence and the discipline of data.”
Solak indicated he intends to return to the council in approximately six months with updated compliance data using the revised reporting framework.
The redeployment plan also reflects regional coordination realities. Folsom operates under its own public safety answering point before calls are transferred to the Sacramento Regional Fire communications center. Because not all neighboring agencies share the same dispatch structure, mutual aid responses can involve additional routing layers. One medic unit currently spends roughly half its time responding outside Folsom’s city limits under regional agreements with agencies including Sacramento Metro Fire, South Placer Fire and El Dorado Hills Fire.
Despite those complexities, mutual aid remains critical, Solak said, noting that few agencies have sufficient resources to operate entirely independently during significant concurrent emergencies.
Council members were reminded by the City Manager that permanently staffing an additional engine company would cost approximately $2 million annually. Restoring the temporarily browned-out engine remains a long-term goal, but current changes are being implemented using existing personnel resources.
During public comment, a resident expressed concern about frequent sirens in certain neighborhoods. Solak explained that emergency “Code 3” responses, which include lights and sirens, follow a structured priority dispatch algorithm and are reserved for calls classified as emergent. When uncertainty exists, he said, crews err on the side of safety.
Solak, who has served as chief for five months and has lived in Folsom for 25 years, said the deployment changes represent both modernization and course correction.
“Our goal is to provide exceptional service,” he said, “and to measure it honestly.”
City officials expect future performance reports later this year as the new deployment model takes effect and data reforms are fully implemented.
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