Wyandotte County fire chief presents 10-year master plan calling for new stations, higher staffing and more ambulances

Dennis Rubin, chief of the Wyandotte County (Kansas City, Kansas) Fire Department, presented a 10-year master plan to the Unified Government commission at its March 31 meeting that asks elected officials to choose among phased station replacements and renovations, increase minimum firefighting staffing toward National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 guidance, and fund a multi-year apparatus and ambulance replacement program.

Rubin said the plan ‘‘is required to be a 10 year version of what we'd like to get accomplished’’ and laid out three phased station priorities, staffing targets tied to national consensus standards and a schedule for buying pumpers, ladder trucks, rescues, hazardous-materials units and ambulances.

The plan matters because commissioners control funding and siting decisions that affect response times, firefighter safety and ambulance availability in a jurisdiction the chief said covers about 28 square miles and roughly 54,000 residents, plus tens of thousands of daily commuters. Rubin also flagged public-safety risks from aging stations and apparatus and described gaps in ambulance availability and EMS billing that reduce revenue.

Rubin told the commission the department currently staffs a minimum of 73 personnel on duty per shift, a number that would move to 79 under an upcoming labor contract. He recommended moving deployment toward the NFPA 1710 consensus standard used widely for career fire departments, saying that ‘‘4 members should arrive at any fire incident within 4 minutes or less’’ and that subsequent building‑type standards must be met within an 8‑minute window. He cited National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research validating NFPA conclusions about how crew size affects task completion times.

Station conditions and phased priorities were a principal focus. Rubin described multiple older stations as ‘‘deplorable’’ or in ‘‘poor’’ condition, listing ages and staffing for each facility and asking commissioners to consider three new stations and three major renovation projects across the 10‑year window. Examples he named included Strawberry Hill (95 years old), Station 2 in Midtown (built 1979), Station 3 Armandale (built 1951), and newer facilities such as Station 12 (six years old) and the recently opened Turner station. He asked the commission to consider replacing Station 20 (the Muncie area) early in the plan and renovating Midtown in phase 1 to preserve a favorable site while managing cost.

On staffing, Rubin summarized apparatus crew-size goals in the plan: ‘‘3 on a pumper, 4 on a ladder truck, and 4 on a heavy rescue,’’ and that the department intends to increase the number of companies modestly (the presentation noted moving minimum companies from 22 to 23 in the next labor contract). He said the NFPA‑and‑NIST-backed evidence showed four‑member engine crews complete tasks ‘‘25 to 30% faster’’ than smaller crews in simulation studies, and he described a recent rescue response where adequate staffing made a lifesaving difference.

Rubin also detailed the department’s ambulance and EMS work: the department operates 11 advanced life support ambulances (9 staffed full time and 2 cross‑staffed), transported 18,400 people to definitive care in the most recent year cited, and recorded roughly $4.3 million in EMS revenue in 2022, $5.9 million in 2023 and $6.2 million in 2024. He said cycle times from dispatch through return to service commonly run 50–90 minutes, with an average near 70 minutes, producing frequent periods with only one or two ambulances available.

Capital needs and replacement cadence were specified in the plan: 15 frontline pumpers (model years ranging 2006–2024) and seven ladder trucks comprise the backbone of the fleet; brush trucks and some reserve units have exceeded service life. Rubin proposed a predictable replacement schedule (two pumpers in even years, one pumper in odd years, one specialty apparatus or ladder every year as needed, one brush truck per year, and three ambulances per year with two new and one remount) to stabilize procurement and budgeting.

Commissioners pressed for price estimates and fiscal context. Commissioner Christian Ramirez (District 3) said he was ‘‘very disappointed’’ chief Rubin had not provided cost estimates and told the chief the commission needed financial figures before approving a plan that asks for capital investments. Chief Rubin replied that finance, the budget director and facilities staff would provide specific costs when projects move forward, and he accepted responsibility for not including a dollar total in the submitted plan.

Other commissioners raised programmatic questions. Commissioner Mike Kane (District 5) asked what ‘‘when available’’ meant in Rubin’s NFPA 1710 staffing goal; Rubin explained it reflected daily staffing variability and short‑term absences. Commissioner Phil Lopez (District 6) pushed for faster action on Station 20, stating the commission already owns the site and wants construction started. Commissioner Melissa Bynum (at‑large) and Commissioner Andrew Davis (District 8) urged a paired, abbreviated presentation with Local 64 (the firefighters’ union) so commissioners could compare labor and administration positions side by side; Rubin and commissioners agreed Local 64 would be scheduled soon.

Rubin also urged the commission to permit a more aggressive EMS collections approach, recommending staff prepare a request for proposals for a collection company; he said collection vendors typically receive a percentage of recovered amounts and that recovering 75% of previously uncollected balances would be preferable to recovering nothing. Commissioners indicated they wanted staff and the budget office to produce revenue and cost estimates to accompany any future funding requests.

The presentation was informational: the commission did not take action on the master plan at the meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Burrows (Commissioner at‑large, District 2) said the packet "was for information only" and that the commission would hear Local 64 and receive budget numbers before moving forward.

Votes at a glance: the meeting recorded several procedural roll‑call votes unrelated to the master plan (continuances and consent approvals). Those votes carried unanimously among the seven commissioners present; none altered the fire master plan or approved funding.

Rubin thanked county administrators, the mayor’s office and Local 64 leadership; he closed by asking for commissioner questions. Commissioners said they appreciated the work but asked for costed budgets, side‑by‑side labor presentations and a timetable for phasing before any funding decisions were taken.