Lodi firefighters responded to more than 8,000 calls last year, most involving EMS and rescue incidents, while expanding ALS capabilities

By Wes Bowers
Lodi News-Sentinel

LODI, Calif. — Tuesday evenings were the busiest times of the year for the Lodi Fire Department in 2025.

The department released its year-end report last week, detailing the number of calls crews received by hour and day.

According to the report, firefighters responded to 94 calls at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and 91 calls at 6 p.m.

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The report did not specify the types of calls answered during those hours, but the department responded to 8,017 calls during the year.

Of those, 4,780 were rescue and EMS incidents, while 298 involved fires. Another 85 were hazardous-condition calls. The remaining 2,944 were service calls, false alarms and “good intent” calls in which a reported emergency turned out to be unfounded.

Station 3, at 2141 S. Ham Lane, handled 1,558 calls, or 32.6% of the total. Station 1, at 210 W. Elm St., responded to 1,362 calls, or 28.5%.

Station 2, at 2 S. Cherokee Lane, handled 1,209 calls, or 25.3%, while Station 4, at 180 N. Lower Sacramento Road, responded to 650 calls, or 13.6%.

Fire Chief Ken Johnson called 2025 another successful year for the department, citing the implementation of Advanced Life Support certification and the CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority partnership with Stockton and Tracy agencies.

Before 2025, the department was limited to Basic Life Support measures, including patient assessments, CPR, extrication, shock management, bleeding control and oxygen administration.

Under ALS certification, crews can administer medication, provide intravenous therapy, perform triage duties and manage large-scale medical incidents.

Johnson said the transition brings Lodi in line with industry standards and allows firefighters to provide advanced airway support, administer life-saving medications and perform advanced procedures for trauma patients and medical emergencies.

CENCAL was created to improve EMS service throughout San Joaquin County. The agency received a notice of intent to award for 911 ambulance services last fall, with operations expected to begin this month.

The partnership is expected to improve ambulance availability, response reliability and coordination while strengthening local oversight and service levels throughout the region.

Under the agreement, American Medical Response will staff and operate ambulances through CENCAL, including a unit dedicated to Lodi emergencies.

Johnson also highlighted the hiring of Fire Marshal Ryan Smart, the addition of two firefighters and the arrival of Truck 2051.

The 60-foot truck was the department’s first vehicle purchase since 2002. It includes a 107-foot aerial ladder, battery-powered hydraulic rescue tools, chainsaws and rotary saws.

The department purchased the truck from Golden State Fire, which entered Lodi in the Fire Truck Face Off competition earlier this year.

Lodi advanced to the semifinals before losing to the Alameda Fire Department.

Johnson also said the department received 77 mutual aid calls from the Woodbridge, Waterloo Morada, Mokelumne Rural and Thornton fire districts, as well as the Stockton Fire Department. Lodi crews responded to 30 mutual aid calls.

“These accomplishments represent only a portion of the department’s work,” Johnson said.

“Thousands of responses, including fires, medical emergencies, water rescues, technical rescues and hazardous materials incidents; extensive training hours; and ongoing community engagement. The Lodi Fire Department remains firmly committed to delivering the highest level of service, guided by our enduring principle: Commitment to Excellence.”

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