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St. Louis Fire Department says FY26 cuts risk equipment readiness, EMS staffing
Summary
Fire Chief Jackerson told the Board of Aldermen’s Budget & Public Employees Committee that the department’s FY26 request was reduced and that cuts to protective clothing, computer services and recruit-related funding could slow hiring and impair readiness; he urged attention to a continuing paramedic shortage and reliance on GEMT reimbursements.
Mayor’s budget office proposal left the St. Louis Fire Department short of its requested FY26 funding, department leaders told the Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 8.
Chief Jackerson, presenting the Saint Louis Fire Department’s FY26 request, said the department asked for $75,154,741 but the proposed budget provided about $71,000,009. The chief told the committee most of the gap was in personnel costs and warned the department remains short on paramedics and other front-line staff.
Why it matters: the department handles roughly 59,000 fire-related incidents and about 56,000 emergency medical responses a year; those calls drive equipment, training and personnel needs. Chief Jackerson said continuing shortfalls would affect response capacity and training investments and that some line-item reductions are directly tied to ongoing recruit classes.
Chief Jackerson outlined personnel and program details. He said the department’s table of organization covers 586 firefighters, 29 medics (a mix of paramedics and EMTs), 33 dispatchers and 32 support staff. “Every year, I ask for additional EMS personnel. Currently we are, approved to run 12 ambulances on a 24 hour period… We would like to see that increase to 18,” he said. The chief described a continuing shortage of paramedics but said a paramedic class of 14 would graduate in about two weeks.
The chief described key revenue and program lines. He said Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT), a Medicaid reimbursement, is budgeted at about $7,926,000 in FY26 and provides money the city uses for EMS training, equipment and operations. He also said a long-standing Riverfront Gaming allocation of $30,000 covers marine-unit equipment and maintenance — an amount he called far short of need. The department is repairing a major fire boat, Marine Unit 6 (the Stan Musio), with engine repairs estimated near $80,000.
Budget cuts singled out by the department included a $175,000 reduction in the protective-clothing (personal protective equipment) line. Chief Jackerson said a full outfit for a recruit costs about $10,000 and that every firefighter needs two complete gear sets to avoid cross-contamination after fires. He warned that an underfunded PPE line complicates bringing new recruits into service.
Other reductions the chief flagged were a nominal cut to health care services tied to random drug testing (he noted last year’s testing cost is expected to exceed $45,000) and a $30,000 cut to computer services tied to an IA Pro Suite implementation that the department wants to use to centralize records, training and equipment tracking. “It helps us target inefficiencies within our service,” Jackerson said of the software.
Committee members pressed on hiring cadence and gear spending. Alderman Browning asked why PPE spending looked underspent in earlier years; the chief explained hiring delays and certified lists from personnel can push purchases into later periods. Jackerson said the department had a current certified hiring list and was staging multiple recruit classes: one due to graduate in June and others planned to rebuild staffing lost to resignations and retirements.
Committee context and next steps: Members asked about long-term capital and fleet needs; the chief said the department had staggered recent vehicle orders (pumpers, ladder trucks, ambulances) but flagged maintenance and reserve-fleet work as vulnerable because the city’s equipment services and mechanics have had recruitment challenges. The department said it would deliver an expanded annual report to committee members the following week, including ward-level breakdowns of incidents and trends.
No committee vote was taken on the fire department budget during the hearing; the session was for presentation and questions. The chief closed by reiterating that personnel and equipment funding remained the department’s top priorities.
Ending: The committee said it would review the submitted annual report and continue budget deliberations before formal action on FY26 appropriations.
