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Chiefs: staffing shortfalls and mutual aid strain Germantown emergency services; senior living drives higher call volumes than multifamily
Summary
Police and fire chiefs told the Public Safety Committee they are operating with staffing shortfalls, expect overtime to remain elevated until new recruits finish field training, and that senior living facilities generate more calls for service than multifamily housing.
Germantown police and fire chiefs told the Public Safety Committee that staffing shortages and growing call volume are stressing operations and that senior‑living facilities produce a disproportionate share of emergency calls.
Fire leadership said the department had run just over 1,400 calls as of July 31 and that mutual aid patterns show the village has received mutual aid 27 times this calendar year while providing mutual aid 15 times. The fire chief explained structure fires require more personnel and noted National Fire Protection Association guidance: “NFPA standard says minimum 15 people required to run a structure fire, due to, safety of the firefighters,” and described the need to stage incoming crews so air tanks and rotations are available.
Police leaders reported staffing shortfalls as well. The police department said it is six officers short, with four recruits in state recruit school who are not expected to be fully through field training until March or April of next year; staff said the state pays for the recruit school cost if they successfully complete it, while the village pays wages while they attend. The chief projected overtime and staffing pressures will ease only after those recruits complete field training and additional lateral hires are onboarded.
Committee members asked about the effect of different housing types on emergency services. The fire chief said senior living and assisted‑living facilities impose a greater demand on the department: “the senior facilities, we have run a 187 calls,” while some large multifamily neighborhoods produce relatively few calls. A trustee asked for the names of the four buildings that produced 23% of the department’s call volume; the chief identified them as assisted‑living facilities in the village.
Both chiefs stressed the role of mutual aid and that response in areas without hydrants requires water‑trucking logistics and additional staffing. Committee members asked for year‑to‑year overtime comparisons and for a future report with more detailed metrics; chiefs agreed to provide comparative overtime data in upcoming packets.
