Ogden fire chief details budget reallocations, resuscitation gains and warns of House Bill 48 wildfire fees

Ogden — Chief Kevin, Ogden Fire Department, on Tuesday presented the department's proposed budget adjustments and performance report to the Ogden City Council, highlighting improved cardiac arrest outcomes, requests to fund redundant turnout gear and training infrastructure, and a proposed color-coded fire-restrictions ordinance designed to give residents clearer, graded limits as wildfire risk changes.

The chief told the council the department is not asking for a general increase to the city's general fund beyond cost-of-living and merit adjustments and that some spending changes are being handled through internal reallocations. "We are not asking for any generalized increases in the general fund except for the merit increases or the cost-of-living increases for employees," Chief Kevin said.

Why it matters: The department requested a series of targeted increases and one-time uses of medical-fund balance to pay for firefighter safety and readiness measures including $500,000 for a second set of turnout gear for every firefighter, $1.5 million in major medical-equipment/CIP requests (including a training tower), and continuing support for a newly staffed homeless medical advocate program. Chief Kevin also warned that House Bill 48, passed by the Utah Legislature in March, will mean some property owners in high-risk areas…