Syracuse Fire Chief Byington and Police Chief Davis briefed the City Council on staffing, call volumes and operational challenges as council members sought information ahead of upcoming budget and work-session discussions.

Fire: Chief Byington told the council the department currently meets Utah Bureau of EMS mandated staffing levels for ambulance and paramedic response "100% of the time," but does not consistently reach NFPA-recommended staffing for fire apparatus. He said the department budgets for 12 firefighters on shift (11 full-time plus one part-time position) and that gaps occasionally force the city to take Engine 32 out of service as a last resort. Since Station 32 opened in late June, Byington said the engine has been taken out of service only a handful of times, but acknowledged the station is not yet fully staffed. The department has requested nine additional firefighter positions to fully staff Engine 32.

Byington also presented call-volume trends: a roughly 58% increase in calls over five years, with the department on track to exceed 2,000 calls in 2025 and an estimated 2,300–2,400 calls by year-end. He cited longer response times to the southeastern portion of the city and said mutual-aid agreements remain an important backstop when local resources are temporarily exhausted.

Police: Chief Davis characterized 0.78 officers per 1,000 residents (including two frozen positions) as Syracuse’s current staffing level. He said retention — not initial recruitment — is the larger concern, noting average years of service for many officers is under three years and that institutional knowledge declines if mid-career officers do not lateral in. Davis singled out supervisory capacity in patrol and supervision of crossing guards as areas needing attention as the city grows. He noted the city has a council-backed retention and recruitment policy but cautioned Syracuse must remain competitive with neighboring jurisdictions’ wage scales to keep experienced officers.

Council members asked about mental-health impacts for first responders and whether Syracuse is safe given current staffing; chiefs described the department cultures as strong and praised staff, while acknowledging future risk if requested positions are not funded. Councilman Cragin said he intends to bring the staffing questions into a work session for deeper budget discussion.

Public comment on the item included a resident who praised the fire department’s culture and immediate response to family medical calls. Another resident described localized concerns about reckless driving near the high school and asked the police chief to consider additional patrols during lunchtime and after-school periods.

Outcome: No binding staffing changes were adopted at the meeting; both chiefs requested follow-up and additional council discussion as part of budget planning.