La Marque’s fire leadership told the City Council Monday that rising call volume and industry staffing standards justify adding three firefighters, replacing aging station bay doors and expanding emergency-medical capacity.

The fire chief and Captain Amanda Black outlined department accomplishments and needs during the budget workshop. The department reported nearly 2,500 fire-engine responses last year and was on pace to surpass that number this year. The department also highlighted community programs: an accelerant-detection canine (Canine Kai) placed at La Marque and county responses, expanded company-level inspections, and 174 people trained in CPR and AED since the program expanded.

Fire leaders asked council to consider three new firefighter positions to reach standard four-person engine staffing (NFPA 1710), arguing additional personnel would raise safety and speed during suppression and could support an eventual ISO 1 rating that helps lower some homeowners’ insurance premiums. The presentation included a staff-produced estimate showing adding three firefighters would increase the fire department’s payroll by roughly 5–8 percent and represent about 1.4–1.9 percent of the city’s total budget in the scenario shown.

The department also requested funding to replace heavy bay doors and motors at fire stations; one presenter said the doors are 50 years old, sometimes won’t close and pose a security risk. Leaders described long lead times for replacement apparatus and parts: post‑COVID lead times for new apparatus may be 24–48 months, the chief said, underscoring the need to plan in advance for engine and ambulance remount replacement.

On EMS, staff said unit-hour utilization and call volumes support a third medic unit. The chief noted annual EMS call volume of roughly 3,000 last year and current year totals approaching 2,700 through July; unit-hour utilization exceeded common benchmarks for expansion. Fire leadership also asked for an EMS administrator position to oversee QA/QI and community-risk-reduction work.

Nut graf: Fire staff say rising demand, improved service levels and industry standards justify modest staffing and capital investments; council members asked staff and finance to reconcile overtime and certification‑pay assumptions in budget worksheets before finalizing hires.

Ending: Council members acknowledged the department’s progress—new engineers and full staffing on shifts—but asked staff to provide finalized cost estimates and to identify funding sources before authorizing additional hires or capital replacements.