Fredonia fire chief warns staffing strained after record 2,191 calls in 2024

The fire chief told the Village of Fredonia Board of Trustees on Jan. 21 that the department handled a record 2,191 calls for service in 2024 and is operating close to capacity.

In a detailed annual report, the chief said 651 of the calls were simultaneous incidents, leaving limited on-shift personnel available. “If we have an EMS call underway and we receive a 9‑1‑1 call for another EMS call or maybe a motor vehicle accident or even a reported fire, that leaves one of our on shift personnel left to respond,” the chief said. He added that the department will “do everything and anything to help our community members,” but warned the current staffing model is stressed.

The nut graf: the chief framed the record call volume and frequent simultaneous responses as the primary operating pressure on the department, even as revenue from EMS billing has increased and a contract with a neighboring town now brings higher annual income.

The chief outlined several specifics. The department answered 1,539 emergency medical service calls in 2024 and provided advanced life‑support services. He reported EMS billing revenue rose from the low $300,000 range in 2021 to the mid $500,000s in the most recent billing year after the village changed billing vendors and reviewed rates and internal procedures. “Under my administration, we've seen EMS cost recovery go from the low 300,000 in the year 2021 to the mid 500,000 we see in the current billing year,” the chief said.

The chief also described a new contract with the Town of Pomfret that averages $550,000 annually—an increase of about $150,000 from the prior agreement—and said that revenue helps offset taxpayer costs for emergency services. He told the board the department protects the village, the town of Pomfret (excluding Lilydale), and SUNY Fredonia campus territory, and also covers 16 miles of the Thruway.

Volunteer staffing and reliance on career staff were central concerns. The chief said 19 volunteer members responded operationally during the year, with a small subset accounting for a substantial share of calls. “Our busy volunteer members that work multiple jobs and have other interests in life cannot provide response to the 2,191 calls for service. This is why we have career staffing,” he said. The chief cautioned the village is “one long term injury or a retirement away from a major capability gap.”

The report compared Fredonia’s staffing and call volume with neighboring jurisdictions: the City of Jamestown responded to roughly 7,700 calls in 2024 with a staff of 52; Dunkirk handled about 2,190 calls with 24 staff. Fredonia logged 2,191 calls with a staff of 12 plus a paid chief.

The chief stressed safety standards that shape operations, mentioning OSHA rules such as the two‑in/two‑out requirement for interior firefighting and the limits those rules place on single‑responder situations. He also noted that when at least two highly trained responders were on scene, average response time was under five minutes for 2024 incidents.

The chief closed by thanking volunteers, mutual aid partners, the board, and county partners. He said the department will continue seeking efficiencies and revenue to offset taxes but emphasized the prime goal remains protecting public safety.

Ending: Board members thanked the chief for the report. There was no formal action recorded on staffing or budget in the workshop transcript; the report was presented for information and to inform upcoming budget discussions.