Deputy Chief Jason Potts of the Zionsville Fire Department told the town safety board that the department is actively recruiting to fill vacancies, is managing midyear budget variances and has multiple apparatus on order.

"We currently have 2 firefighters continuing in week 6 of the Northside Fire Academy," Potts said, and added that after those hires the department still would have "9 vacancies to get to our full staffing." He said the department’s hiring process opened Aug. 1 and "runs through August 29," creating an eligibility list for future openings.

The updates came during the board’s monthly report and midyear budget review, items presented as information rather than for formal action. Potts emphasized that the spreadsheet provided to the board is an internal fire department document compiled daily from purchases and encumbrances, not the town finance office’s finalized accounting, and that some lines — including stipend and health-insurance estimates — are skewed by how human resources provided projections.

Why it matters: staffing levels affect response capacity and overtime costs; midyear variances in personnel-related lines (health insurance, pension contributions and stipends) may affect year-end balances and the 2026 budget request.

Potts described recruitment outreach led by Captain Elizabeth Campbell’s team. The department held an open house at Fire Station 93 that drew "over 50 people," and Potts said the recruitment videos and outreach had produced "over 170 applicants" as of the time he reported. He credited the recruitment team and said the eligibility list produced by the current process will be used for future hires as vacancies occur.

On equipment and capital, Potts said the department "currently have 5 fire trucks on order, 2 engines, 2 ambulances, and a tanker, and they will start to arrive next year." He said equipment-replacement funds that appear available in the spreadsheet are already dedicated to those apparatus purchases and that some existing vehicles will be retired or held in reserve depending on condition and market value.

Potts also noted station repairs and recent emergency replacements: an HVAC system at Station 292 failed after being identified in a recent fire station feasibility study, and funds from the station-repair line were used for repairs. He said the department expects to meet its station and equipment maintenance needs for the remainder of the year.

On personnel changes, Potts recognized Deputy Chief Josh Frost, announcing Frost’s retirement after 20 years as a career firefighter and 17 years with Zionsville. Potts said Frost "is recognized as an expert in fire code and fire prevention" and that a walkout ceremony is scheduled Sept. 9 at 1:30 p.m. at Fire Station 291 on Ford Road.

Board members asked questions about how payroll and pension lines are split between operating and PS-LIT accounts and how human-resources projections affect the department’s year-to-date percentages. Potts said the salary lines looked underspent because of vacancies and timing of hires, and that health-insurance costs can increase significantly when employees change coverage tiers (for example, when family status changes). He said the department will work more closely with human resources and finance for future projections.

Potts also described expected near-term charges: physicals and medical testing completed mid-August that are expected to produce a significant third-quarter bill, and ARPA-funded projects that still have pending invoices and must be spent by the end of 2026.

No formal votes were taken on the fire department report or budget details; the board accepted the items as information. Board members asked for follow-up details, including a clearer consolidated total for the department’s budget lines and a review of specific account differences. Potts offered to provide line-by-line clarifications offline and to supply revised presentation layouts to make the midyear report easier for board members to read.

The board approved the minutes from the July 21 meeting by voice vote earlier in the session and later adjourned; the board’s next regular meeting was announced for Sept. 15 at 8 a.m. or immediately after the town council meeting that begins at 7:30 a.m.