The Burlington Board of Finance heard a presentation May 14 from Fire Chief LaChance on the department’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which the chief said must replace one-time federal funding and cover rising supply and labor costs.

LaChance told the board the department handled just under 11,000 calls in the past year — including about 1,592 fire responses (67 structural fires), roughly 7,100 emergency medical responses and about 2,200 other responses — and that call volume has trended up in prior years before leveling recently. He said staffing is the department’s principal cost and that 93% of the budget is personnel-related.

The department’s FY26 “new money” request includes $2,223,000, LaChance said, noting one driver is the loss of roughly $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds the department had used in prior years. He said ambulance billing and other fees help the budget but have limits: about 80% of transported patients are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, which restricts how much the city can collect. LaChance reported that ambulance revenue last year was about 18% above expected levels but that through the current year the department had collected about 76% of expected ambulance revenue 75% of the way through the fiscal year.

LaChance described several cost pressures: post-pandemic supply-price increases (he cited double-digit rises for some medical supplies), rising tariff-driven equipment costs, and expected cost-of-living adjustments from contract negotiations. He gave examples of supply prices to illustrate the impact: a bag valve mask used on overdose calls costs about $15 and a single dose of glucagon can cost about $235. He said the department seeks to update certain fee schedules (some set in the city charter) so fees can better track inflation.

To reduce overtime costs, LaChance pointed to a decline in overtime in recent years and said the department had started a lateral hire program to shorten onboarding from a 22-week academy to a six-week program for experienced hires. He said minimum staffing requirements mean vacancies force mandatory overtime, so maintaining healthy staffing levels remains crucial.

The chief also described the department’s community health work — a community response team, partnerships with Howard Center and other behavioral-health providers, overdose response programs and a “prevent” initiative that offers buprenorphine in the street — as both a public-health intervention and a way to meter large emergency responses.

Councillors pressed for more detail on assumed salary adjustments and on specific budget lines: Councilor Jeffers asked whether an assumed cost-of-living adjustment covers union and nonunion staff; LaChance said the department has assumed an adjustment but would not disclose a bargaining figure in open session while negotiations are active. Councilors also asked about retirement cost increases and training and contractual services lines; LaChance said he would follow up by email with line-item detail. Councilor Carpenter confirmed the ARPA amount LaChance referenced for fire ($1.2 million) and noted that the department used those funds for salaries — an allowable ARPA use, LaChance said.

Why it matters: Burlington’s fire budget is largely personnel-driven, and loss of one-time federal funding combined with rising supply and labor costs creates pressure on the general fund. The department’s community-health initiatives and lateral-hire strategy are aimed at reducing costly emergency responses and overtime, but the chief asked the council to provide updated fee authority and predictable revenue policies to help stabilize the budget.

What’s next: LaChance and his staff agreed to provide requested clarifications by email, including the wage assumption and a breakdown of training and contractual-service spending. The Board of Finance meeting was informational; no budget votes were taken at the session.