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Fire department highlights EMS growth, seeks flat FY26 budget while pressing recruitment and technology gains
Summary
Chief Sweat told the City Council budget committee that EMS calls now make up about 86% of the department’s call volume and outlined steps to shorten recruit training, add telematics and monitor overtime. The fire department proposed a mostly flat FY26 budget while warning that recruitment and retention remain the largest risks.
Chief Sweat, the Fire Department’s top official, told the Memphis City Council budget committee on May 12 that emergency medical service demand continues to climb and that the department’s FY26 proposal emphasizes recruiting, training and technology to manage overtime and response capacity.
“Everything we do, that’s our core,” Chief Sweat said, describing the department’s mission to deliver timely emergency response and prevention work.
Why it matters: Fire and EMS operations are largely people‑driven and absorb a high share of the department’s operating budget. The committee’s questions focused on the changing mix of calls (a rising share of EMS), recruit training time and whether shifting deployment toward more ambulances could reduce overtime and better align resources with demand.
Fire officials presented a total complement of 1,860 positions with the bulk of active response personnel (EMS and…
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