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Tumwater fire chief outlines staffing, FD CARES and new medic unit plans
Summary
Fire Chief Brian Hurley briefed the Tumwater City Council on 2024 response volumes, an improved insurance protection rating, plans to staff a new medic unit and the FD CARES and crisis-response initiatives as the department expands services and facilities.
Fire Chief Brian Hurley told the Tumwater City Council on April 8 that the fire department ran just under 6,000 calls for service in 2024 and is moving to expand medical response and community programs.
Hurley said emergency medical services accounted for about 75% of last year’s calls, and that station-level activity is concentrated around Prosper Road, where commercial and dense residential development and assisted-living facilities drive higher demand. “We ran, just under 6,000 calls for service,” Hurley said.
The department is authorized for 62 full-time positions and — with recent conditional hires — expects those allocated slots to be filled; Hurley said daily minimum staffing is 11 personnel now and will rise to a minimum of 13 in 2026 when the city staffs Medic 8 at Station T2. He said three-person engine staffing and two-person medic staffing remain the standard, with a battalion chief on duty.
Hurley highlighted accomplishments in 2024, including a jump to a Class 3 protection rating — placing the department among the top rated agencies in Washington — completion of a five-year comprehensive emergency management plan update, implementation of a countywide digital radio system upgrade and completion of a new collective bargaining agreement.
On programs, the chief described two distinct initiatives: FD CARES, a referral and enrollment program for residents with non-emergency social or support needs, and a separate crisis-response program intended to handle behavioral-health incidents. Hurley said FD CARES is referral-based (not dispatched through 911) and typically enrolls people for about 90 days for coordinated services. By contrast, the crisis-response program will involve co-response teams and require TCOM 9-1-1 integration; he noted Olympic Health and Recovery is seeking authorization to provide crisis services and that the city hopes for an update before the May public health and safety meeting.
Hurley told council the city will staff an aid unit at times when additional personnel are available, and that Thurston County Medic 1 levy funds will pay for three new paramedic units that will replace frontline ambulance units. He also said one ordered fire engine is scheduled for 2026 delivery and the department is working on station remodels, including an architect-led design for Station T2 and interior updates at Station T1.
Council members asked about call coding, reporting and program metrics. Hurley said the CARES program will report enrollment counts and services and that crisis-response call types should be broken out in future updates. He emphasized staffing and program support as the department’s primary near-term constraint: “As we take on a CARES program or a crisis response program, obviously there’s the support that’s needed to run those programs,” Hurley said.
The chief said the department has begun cancer-screening and other wellness initiatives under its labor agreement, and that peer-support and annual physical programs continue to be emphasized for firefighter health.
Looking ahead, Hurley said the department will continue implementing its strategic-plan objectives, expand community risk-reduction efforts (including wildfire risk work), pursue emergency-management partnerships and finalize the paramedic contract with Medic 1. He asked the council for continued support while the city brings the new medical and crisis-response services online.
