Brentwood staff seeks $27,300 for fire department promotional video; committee forwards discussion to full board

The Brentwood Ways and Means Committee on a July evening voted to forward to the full Board of Aldermen a request from the fire department to pay $27,300 for the production of a promotional video that would debut at the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Fire-Rescue International conference. Fire department leadership told the committee the IFC’s production company contacted the department on June 30 and offered to produce a five-minute and a one-minute video and to provide raw footage; the production price is $27,300, the chief said. The department proposed paying the cost from salary-savings from current vacancies. Committee members said the opportunity was potentially useful for regional recruitment and economic development messaging but expressed concern about the abrupt timeline, the size of the expense and whether the city could achieve similar recruitment results with a lower-cost local production. One committee member said the timing felt “very rushed” and urged additional strategic review by the communications and public safety committees before committing funds. Fire leadership said the video could be used for multiple years and that the department emphasized collaborative topics—training, medical direction, health and wellness and peer-support programs—when speaking with the production team. The chief also said the department retains final editorial control and would receive all raw footage. Committee members asked staff to check references and reach out to municipalities previously featured by the contractor (the chief reported speaking with Colorado Springs). The committee made and seconded a motion to forward the item to the full Board of Aldermen for discussion, without a recommendation from the committee; the motion carried. No formal purchase or appropriation was approved at the committee meeting; committee members requested written feedback from other municipalities that have used the vendor, additional estimates for comparable local production, and clarity about how the video would integrate with any pending city rebranding and with longer-term recruitment strategy.