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Winooski Fire Department flags part-time staffing concerns and inspection workload in FY26 presentation
Summary
Fire Chief Adi and incoming Fire Marshal John Spittle told the council that inspections and emergency-response workload are steady but the department is increasingly reliant on part‑time, on‑call personnel; councilors asked for continued focus on recruitment, a station renovation plan and auto‑aid arrangements.
Fire Chief Adi and department staff briefed the council on the fire department’s FY26 workload and budget priorities, emphasizing inspection volume, reliance on part-time/on-call firefighters and the need for longer-term capital planning.
Nut graf: Chief Adi said the department completed roughly 1,214 public-building inspections in the July 2023–June 2024 reporting year and carried out 574 emergency responses. He warned the council that part-time and paid-on-call staffing levels are the department’s most vulnerable operational element and recommended continued recruitment and retention efforts.
Chief Adi and the new full-time fire marshal, John Spittle, described the department’s “5 E” approach (engineering, enforcement, emergency response, economic incentives and education) and said inspections flag routine life-safety issues: handrail and egress problems, electrical maintenance, heating-system periodic inspections and improper use of extension cords. Inspectors reported an increase in reinspections, which Chief Adi said reflects maintenance backlogs.
On operational coverage, the chief said the department depends heavily on a mix of full-time staff and part-time paid-on-call firefighters, noting the department’s weekend-duty crews and overnight gaps between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. He said instances with zero responders and responses staffed only by one to four firefighters have increased and called that trend “the most concerning data point” in his presentation.
Auto-aid relationships are shifting: historically, Winooski received more auto aid from neighboring departments and Saint Michael’s (Saint Mike’s) EMS; the department now provides more mutual assistance to nearby towns and has experienced reduced reciprocal staffing for routine calls. Chief Adi asked councilors to note that reductions in neighboring departments’ availability increase pressure on Winooski staffing and service models.
The fire budget includes a capital ask for a new apparatus and station renovations; Chief Adi said equipment delivery timelines remain stretched and that design and scoping work for the station renovation has been contracted. He recommended continued focus on recruitment, a community risk assessment and strengthening mutual‑aid and auto‑aid agreements.
Ending: Councilors acknowledged the staffing and facility challenges and asked for follow-up information on recruitment results, timetable and cost estimates for station renovation and options to stabilize auto-aid and mutual-aid coverage.
