Prescott Fire Department outlines station upgrades, staffing and wildfire programs after voter-approved funding

Prescott Fire Department leaders on Thursday told the City Council that voter-approved Proposition 4 7 8 and city appropriations are funding new firefighters, planned fire stations and a set of health-and-safety and technology upgrades intended to reduce response times and community risk.

The report laid out staffing and capital changes already under way and near-term steps: six new firefighters have been hired and onboarded, an engine company is being staffed for weekday daytime coverage, direct-exhaust capture and air-curtain systems for existing stations have been ordered, and architects will be solicited to help design new stations including a planned Station 76 near Watson Lake, and a remodel of Station 72 on Sixth Street.

Why it matters: Department leaders said the mix of personnel, equipment and technology funded by the proposition will improve response distribution and help meet the eight‑minute total response time goal the city adopted jointly with CAFMA. Officials linked the changes to rising call volumes and a heavy share of medical/rescue work in Prescott.

Deputy Chief Tom Knapp, who leads emergency and essential services planning, summarized what the strategic-plan update reflects: "We were able to... incorporate [the city's] mission statement into the fire department's mission statement" to align department goals with the city's broader objective of improving quality of life in Prescott. Knapp and Operations Division Chief Ralph Lucas said the department has expanded data and analytics tools used to shape staffing and placement decisions.

Key points and figures - Staffing and hires: The department reported 83 full‑time employees and 15 volunteers; council appropriations and the proposition allowed the onboarding of six new firefighters and the promotion of a first captain and engineer to support a daytime engine company. - Call volume and composition: "We ran a total of 10,889 emergency incidents," Lucas said, and rescue and EMS incidents represented about 78.47% of that total — above the national average. Lucas added that a 56‑second change in a specific response-time metric between 2023 and 2024 reflects distribution pressures as call volumes shift. - Stations and capital: Fire leaders said they are finalizing site evaluations for relocations and new stations. Station 76 is targeted near Watson Lake on city‑owned land; Station 72 on Sixth Street is slated for a major remodel. The department will issue a request for statement of qualifications (RSQ) to select an architect. - Health-and-safety upgrades: Chiefs said direct exhaust capture systems for Station 71 and Station 73 and air curtains are already ordered and expected to arrive by June; these address long‑standing air‑quality and firefighter cancer‑risk concerns. - Technology and operations: The department deployed a Live Move‑Up Module (LiveMOM) in February 2024 to use historical call data for dynamic apparatus placement; leaders reported a substantive drop in manual move‑ups and fuel/wear costs. Modernized station alerting — a contract the department plans to bring to the April 8 council meeting — was described as having a potential 15‑ to 30‑second reduction in some total response time measurements by removing manual dispatch steps. - Wildfire and community programs: The Wildfire Risk Manager, Conrad Jackson, outlined the Fireside program used for defensible‑space inspections, chipping operations and grant implementation. Jackson reported that the program tracked 13,600 hours of volunteer and contractor work to date (the presentation listed 11,400 then updated to 13,600) and said the chipping crew handled 20 properties in one recent week with 12 additional requests on the wait list.

Discussion and next steps Council members pressed for details on site selection and timelines. Chief Holger (Fire Chief) told the council the primary near‑term focus is getting Station 76 online because the city needs the company to improve coverage; he cautioned that site validity studies and design work remain in progress. Knapp said the department has requested an additional captain, an engineer and two firefighters to stand up the new engine company and that the new engine ordered previously will be re‑prioritized to support the expansion.

Several council members and staff thanked community organizers and volunteers for outreach that helped pass Proposition 4 7 8; the department publicly thanked the council for a December appropriation that allowed immediate hires.

What was not decided No formal council votes on policy or contracts occurred during the presentation. The alerting contract is slated for a future council meeting; station site approvals and construction will require future steps including RSQ selection and, where required, formal council action.

Ending Fire leaders closed by emphasizing prevention and workforce development as long‑term priorities and said they expect continued annual strategic‑plan updates that reflect new metrics and program milestones.