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Fire chief says budget flat as department reaches contract staffing; council questions minimum staffing and overtime
Summary
Fire Chief Atkinson presented a relatively flat FY26 fire budget, reported the department is staffed to contract minimums, highlighted training and equipment, and answered council questions about the 93-person minimum staffing level, retirements and overtime dynamics.
Fire Chief Atkinson told the council the fiscal 2026 fire budget is “relatively flat” and that department leaders have worked through a period without a deputy chief; he said assistant chiefs and command staff stepped up to administer operations.
Atkinson said the department averaged a little over 5,000 emergency calls last year (the transcript later records 5,581 fire calls for the last year) and noted investments in turnout gear, driver training and technical rescue capabilities. He reported two retirements due to reaching retirement age and one departure for another opportunity, and said the department is staffed “at our full level according to our contract.”
Nut graf: councilors used the presentation to probe whether the contract minimum staffing level (93) remains appropriate for safety and sustainability and how overtime and minimum staffing interact with take-home pay for firefighters.
Council members asked how the department determines that a 93-person minimum is the right staffing level and whether the number supports safe operations and sustainable shifts. Atkinson said minimums are derived from the contract’s minimum-staffing clause, OSHA/FEMA guidance, the number of apparatus to be staffed, response times, building types and travel times and collective-bargaining discussions; the staffing level reflects the labor-contract minimums and operational projections tied to academy schedules for hiring and training.
Councilors expressed concern about long shifts, overtime reliance and incidence-response coverage. Atkinson and other administration staff said they would review staffing levels as part of collective bargaining and that the contract contains limits (for example on maximum hours) intended to reduce fatigue; they also said mutual aid arrangements supplement local resources for large incidents.
On retention and exit interviews, administrative staff said exit interviews are offered but voluntary and sometimes confidential; reasons for departures cited in this session included retirement, career moves and family reasons. Chief Atkinson and administration staff said the town typically receives abundant applications for fire openings (the administration mentioned an earlier hiring exam with over 300 applicants and about 75 on an active list) and that recruitment is not a current problem.
Ending: Chief Atkinson and administration staff said they believe the proposed budget will maintain current service levels; the council asked for follow-up analysis on whether the contract minimum remains the best number for safety and sustainability and said that review could be conducted during bargaining or administrative planning.
