Cheyenne Fire Rescue requests $14.76 million for 2026, lists accreditation, staffing and one-time equipment needs

Fire Chief John Copper told the Cheyenne City Council that Cheyenne Fire Rescue is seeking $14,762,460 for fiscal year 2026, a 0.9% increase from 2025, citing collective bargaining reclassifications, benefits, and increased medical screening and wellness measures.

Copper and Deputy Chief Andrew Dykesorn outlined recent accomplishments including national accreditation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence after more than four years of work on policies and community risk assessment, updates to response deployment and proximity dispatching, completion of infrastructure projects such as vehicle exhaust systems in stations, and continued use of the SAFER grant to support staffing (the department said it has about 15 months left on the SAFER grant period of performance, ending August 2026).

Chief Copper said the department is buying three new engines that are in manufacturing, purchased two properties for future fire stations and completed conceptual designs for…