Anacortes fire chief outlines 2024 call increases, staffing and facility needs; warns calls could triple by 2045

Fire Chief Harris told the Anacortes City Council on March 17 that the fire department’s total reported call volume for 2024 was about 4,767 — roughly a 3.5% increase from 2023 — and that medical calls continue to dominate the workload.

Harris said the department recorded about 2,057 hospital transports in 2024, that roughly 63% of transports were advanced life‑support (paramedic) level, and that EMS calls represent about 80% of overall responses. He told council members the department will present detailed recommendations for staffing and facilities as part of the city’s comprehensive plan and upcoming budget planning.

The presentation matters because the city is updating its comprehensive plan and level‑of‑service standards and because the department projects continued growth in demand that will affect when and how the city must add personnel and facilities. Chief Harris described the department’s 2024 budget performance, recent investments, and specific operational changes made after voters approved Proposition 1 last year.

Chief Harris summarized 2024 operational data and recent changes. The department ran about 13 calls per day on average, with downtown units (Medic 14, Engine 2911 and Ladder 2915) handling roughly half of all calls. In addition to EMS work, the department reported eight structure fires, 10 vehicle fires, one boat fire, 12 vegetation/wildland incidents, 32 hazardous‑materials incidents, 14 water‑related incidents and six elevator rescues. Harris said the department expects a nationwide reporting system migration later in 2025 that may change how some incident types are coded.

On staffing, Harris said voter approval of Proposition 1 allowed the city to run a 16‑week academy and add personnel that enabled a fourth deployed unit by mid‑2024. “By July 1, roughly, all of those recruits were then off of FTOs … and we were able to deploy that fourth unit that we've been working for,” he told council. He described some early operational adjustments as the department integrated the new personnel.

Harris laid out call‑growth projections the department used for planning: assuming roughly 5% annual growth, calls could reach about 7,000 by 2031, about 8,700 by 2035 and roughly 15,000 by 2045 if current trends continue. He said those projections mean the city should identify “trigger points” for incremental staffing and facility investments rather than waiting for a single large shortfall.

Budget and funding: Harris said the department’s 2024 appropriation was about $9.6 million and that actual spending finished near 96% of budget. He identified overtime as the largest overage and explained accounting for ambulance billing and write‑offs complicates appearance of underspending; he said $4.4–$5.0 million of department revenue is tied to EMS levy and transport billing, leaving roughly $4 million borne by true general funds.

On level of service and standards, Harris told council staff recommended response goals intended to align with NFPA guidance while reflecting Anacortes’s size and EMS load. Examples from the discussion included a target first‑engine arrival on structure calls near the NFPA 320‑second window and assembling a minimum crew suitable for immediate rescue on working structure fires. Harris said using NFPA benchmarks for the “effective response force” (he cited the NFPA 17xx family standards) will let the city measure performance over time and adjust plans.

Prevention and inspections: Harris described a multi‑year effort to rebuild the inspection database after reduced inspection activity during the pandemic. In 2024 crews divided the city into four geographic districts, physically checked occupancies and completed about 75% of the inventory; the department intends to finish the initial inventory in 2025 and pursue a program to reach 100% required inspections in 2026. Councilmembers asked about inspection frequency for high‑risk occupancies and the relationship between inspections and insurance rating (WSRB), and Harris said he would follow up with WSRB specifics.

Community paramedic and system‑level issues: Harris noted the community paramedic program served 108 patients in 2024 (106 of them new to the program) and that the program reported a large drop in 911 use among enrolled patients; he deferred detailed program statistics to program staff (identified as Steve and Ashley) who were not present. He also described countywide work on fall‑prevention coordination and local outreach planned for summer 2025.

Wildland‑urban interface: In the wake of high‑profile wildfires elsewhere, council and staff discussed the WUI code and options for local action. Harris said the statewide adoption of the WUI code had been pulled and that the city could consider adopting parts of the model code locally; he cautioned retroactive mandates would be difficult and that much mitigation work will be education and targeted improvements rather than wholesale vegetation removal because of wetlands, critical areas and property‑use restrictions in parts of Anacortes.

Next steps and council comments: Councilmembers and the mayor praised department recruitment and asked staff to return to council with specific, incremental trigger points tied to call volume and revenue projections (for example, how many additional personnel or stations are needed at specific call thresholds). Harris said he plans to present concrete staffing steps during the budget retreat and asked council to clarify what level of service it wants the city to pursue as a policy matter.

Ending: Chief Harris closed by noting the department will bring more detailed proposals to the council in the months ahead, including proposed trigger points for phased staffing and facility changes and more data on inspection workloads and the community paramedic outcomes.