Clark County Fiscal Court members were told Tuesday that the county’s fire department faces a personnel shortfall and aging equipment that officials say could force reduced service unless the court approves hires and repairs.

The point-of-urgency came from the fire chief and department staff, who said the department is currently short five positions and could lose four to five more to retirements this year. "It takes about 13 weeks to get these guys trained enough to be on the truck," the chief said, adding that unscheduled overtime this year has cost the department substantially and that hiring would likely be the cheaper long-term option.

The court heard a cost estimate for training from Jim, a fire-department official: "It's about $16,000 per individual when we train," he said, a figure the court discussed when weighing commitments for new recruits. Court members also heard an explicit warning about operations: "We are on the brink of cutting service if we don't do something to remedy the problem," the chief said.

Why it matters: Court members said the combination of high overtime, frequent recruit departures and obsolete equipment threatens response capacity. Officials reported that only one truck (at Station 3) is currently staffed with three personnel; all other frontline trucks have two-person crews. If staffing declines further, the department said it could be forced to park trucks or reduce coverage.

Supporting details and debate: Court members discussed the department’s recruitment pipeline and retention problems. Officials said last year’s unscheduled overtime ran roughly $155,000 (figure discussed on the floor) and that attrition among new hires in the early months is about one-third, which makes precise workforce planning difficult. The department noted that four candidates currently qualify to hire and three of those would require training.

Members also raised equipment concerns. The court heard that the cascade system used to fill SCBA air tanks is obsolete and has required multiple repairs; the most recent repair cost was about $1,600, and parts for the unit are increasingly hard to find. County officials said they have some short-term life out of the unit but that replacement planning is required to avoid a catastrophic failure that would affect operations.

Court directions and next steps: The chief asked the court for guidance on hiring and for approval or direction on repairs. Magistrates and the judge indicated support for bringing four recruit names forward and for preparing a formal order and employment paperwork for the next meeting; the judge may appoint lateral hires immediately and seek ratification by the court at the next session. The court asked staff to place candidate names and the recommended recruitment actions on the next agenda and to return with specific budget transfer requests for repairs and training costs.

What the court did: Members agreed to put hiring paperwork and candidate names on the next regular meeting agenda for formal approval and to have the county attorney prepare any needed orders or contract language. No final budget appropriation for hires or long-term equipment replacement was approved during the meeting; the court directed staff to return with the documentation needed for formal action.

Ending: Court members reiterated that the decision is effectively a choice between hiring and sustaining current service or reducing coverage. Officials asked that the court prioritize the staffing and equipment items in upcoming budget work and to consider formalizing training-agreement language to discourage early departures.