Stevensville council hears fire-department staffing shortfalls; discusses EMS training funding

Stevensville — Fire and emergency services staffing and training took up substantial time at the Sept. 11 Town Council meeting as department leaders described missed medical calls and the cost of EMT training.

Jeff Bromley, identified in the meeting as the fire department representative, gave the council the monthly statistics included in the packet: “In August, we had 66 requests for service. Out of 66, we had 42 medicals and 20 fire calls, 4 more vehicle accidents, and we had 1 missed call in the month of August,” he said. For the year to date he reported roughly 475 requests for service and said the department was seeing staffing shortfalls that led to missed calls during daytime hours.

Bromley described training requirements and costs: “It’s a hundred and 20 hour class. The cost to do that class is right around a thousand dollars per student,” he said, adding that classes run longer and costs are higher if held outside the Valley County Fire Council. Councilors and the chief discussed that EMT training includes classroom hours plus ride‑alongs and field time.

Councilors moved to add money to training during the budget discussion. A councilor said they would “move $3,000 to move into the training for the fire department.” The motion was seconded and discussed; in the transcript provided the chair called for a vote and at least one councilor recorded “Aye.” The final roll‑call tally for that specific amendment is not fully recorded in the excerpt.

Why this matters: the fire department and the town’s ability to staff EMTs affects emergency response times and coverage for both the town and the surrounding district. Councilors said training is expensive and that funding local classes improves recruitment and retention.

Other items discussed affecting public safety included mutual‑aid calls and an upcoming statewide firefighters convention that the Stevensville department will co‑host in February 2026; the chief said the event will bring 200–250 volunteers and create training opportunities for multiple valley departments.

The meeting record shows councilors asked staff to identify which budget account the training money should come from (EMT training vs. general fire training) and to make that allocation explicit in the packet. Chief and councilors agreed the town needs to recruit and train more EMTs to reduce daytime missed calls.

The transcript contains direct department figures and quoted training costs; councilors asked for ongoing updates on staffing and training needs as part of budget follow‑up.