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Fire chief cites overtime, aging fleet and targeted pilot units as priorities in budget briefing
Summary
Cincinnati Fire Department leaders told the finance committee that overtime spending remains high and that the department needs more authorized positions and fleet replacement. They reported recent steps including recruit classes, two afternoon/evening medic transport units and an alternative-response pilot using lighter ALS units.
Frank McKinley, fire chief of the Cincinnati Fire Department, told the Budget & Finance Committee that the department continues to rely on overtime to fill operational gaps and needs a longer-term fleet and staffing plan to improve readiness and morale.
Chief McKinley said the department’s authorized uniform headcount is 841 FTEs; the administration previously budgeted for 859 FTEs in 2019, and the department’s on-duty roster at the briefing was about 853. The department reported overtime spending of approximately $5.2 million in quarter 1 and $3.8 million in quarter 2 and said those totals include one-time professional-development overtime and retro pay; when those items are removed, the chief said overtime is relatively flat with FY 2024.
On operations and response, the department tracks first-engine arrival within 480 seconds for low-, medium- and high-hazard calls per NFPA-based standards and reported improvement from 71% to 84% meeting that benchmark between quarters after deploying pilot programs. Chief McKinley said the department has introduced lighter ALS vehicles and two medic-transport units that operate from about 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to align resources with peak medical-call hours; medical calls comprise about 84% of total calls.
Fleet condition was a prominent concern. The department said some apparatus date to the late 1990s and that replacement lead times are long: roughly 36 months to build a fire engine and 36–48 months for aerials. The chief estimated a single fire engine currently costs roughly $900,000–$960,000 and a truck $1.2–$1.4 million; he said escalating environmental and supply changes will push those costs higher. The department reported 78% completion of its vehicle maintenance work plan, a material improvement compared with last year.
Chief McKinley and the department’s finance officer, Erin Hall, described efforts to reduce preventable injuries: the department recorded 32 preventable injuries across the first quarter and second quarter combined and reduced that number to three in quarter 2 alone after intensified safety and training investments; the department continues a wellness and cancer-screening program for members.
On staffing, the chief said recent recruit classes and a January 2022 class of 52 graduates improved capacity; that class was roughly 8% women. Council members raised questions about whether two recruit classes are needed in the coming year and whether expanding recruit frequency would materially reduce overtime; the chief said maintaining roughly 55 recruits per year keeps the department stable but that expansion would be necessary to increase capacity beyond status quo.
Committee members discussed a multi-year fleet-replacement strategy, overtime mitigation and the trade-offs between adding authorized positions versus continuing mitigation through pilot deployments and scheduling changes. The chief said the department will continue evaluating deployment models and provided follow-up data commitments as the council prepares budget decisions.
