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Police, EMS and fire reports show higher call volumes; EMS receives planning grant and fire takes new ladder truck into service
Summary
At the March 24 public safety meeting police reported busy spring call volumes, EMS reported rising call counts and a planning grant award for a regional training study, and the fire department placed a new ladder truck in service while the assistant chief announced his planned year‑end retirement.
City emergency services gave monthly reports March 24 showing increased activity, equipment updates and staffing notes.
Police: Staff reported that with warmer weather the department had been "a little busier than usual," with 261 calls for service since March (as reported in the meeting). The department expects delivery of new squad vehicles in May and said the emergency generator operated during a recent outage. Overtime for the first pay period of the month was about 15.5 hours, with some overtime tied to drug task force operations.
EMS: The EMS presenter said the service was roughly 50 calls ahead of the same point last year and that staffing held steady with three ambulances regularly staffed. The department is pursuing bids for a new ambulance (budgeted for 2027) and reported receiving a larger FAP allotment this cycle: ``we got our FAP allotment... $35,000,'' which staff said was higher than the typical $6,000–$10,000 in prior years. The department also said it was awarded an "innovation planning grant" together with the Town of Elmira to study services and to assess whether the training center could support neighboring communities; staff named Tom LaMeyra and Stephanie as contacts for next steps.
Fire: The fire chief reported the new ladder truck (unit 2971, model year 2024) was placed in service and that the older 1991 ladder truck had been stripped and was ready for disposal or sale. Staff presented recent comparable sale prices and recommended referring the surplus decision to finance or council; possible options included resale, donation, or salvage. The department reported 27 fire calls year‑to‑date and said membership is about 21 active members with one conditional hire pending a physical (22 pending). Assistant Fire Chief John Boris announced his resignation effective December 31: "12/31 is gonna be my last day as the assistant chief," he said during the meeting.
Training and community outreach: EMS and fire staff described ongoing training (UTV/vehicle training, CPR/stop‑the‑bleed sessions) and plans to coordinate with schools and police for additional instruction.
Why it matters: rising call volumes, equipment updates and staffing transitions affect response capacity and budgeting for vehicles and training. The EMS planning grant may expand regional training capacity and accelerate workforce development.
What happens next: EMS will pursue ambulance procurement planning and the study with Elmira; staff will bring proposed surplus/disposal procedures for the old ladder truck to finance or council for direction; the city will plan for leadership transition in the fire department heading into Chief Boris's retirement.
