Spokane fire leaders cite overtime, recruiting gaps and press for capital purchases and code changes

Fire officials told the Public Safety and Community Health Committee on May 5 that a recent string of retirements and other vacancies has driven a sharp increase in overtime and is shaping near-term staffing and capital plans for the Spokane Fire Department.

Interim department leaders and the assistant fire marshal described a package of proposals that would pair immediate capital purchases — funded by a proposed internal loan from the Spokane investment pool — with updates to the Spokane Municipal Code intended to reduce permitting costs for owners and recover some costs from repeat nuisance responses.

Chief Forbes, speaking for the fire department, said staffing losses were a major driver of overtime and service pressure and described efforts to accelerate an EMT class so new paramedics arrive at stations weeks earlier. "For 2025, we have 82% our EMS calls," Chief Forbes said while summarizing call-volume breakdowns. He also cited a string of retirements that he estimated produced hundreds of overtime shifts this year.

Assistant Fire Marshal Nathan told the committee the administration will propose several municipal code changes aimed at aligning inspection fees with actual workload and the current model fire code. That package includes: a revised fee schedule that aggregates square footage across apartment complexes (reducing total charges for multi‑building properties), a plan-review reduction for most residential solar permits to a base fee of $105, and a proposed 15% fee discount for property owners who pass two successive inspection cycles without code violations.

Nathan also described a proposed nuisance-response fee for repeated accidental or unwanted alarms. He said some properties have generated multiple responses each week — in some cases because fentanyl smoking in stairwells triggers smoke detectors — and the department is pursuing a cost-recovery mechanism for repeated, non-emergency alarms while still encouraging property repairs that would eliminate nuisance activations. "If there are corrections they could make on-site ... they're willing to put the money and the time into effecting change in their building, then we would allow those fees to be waived so that they could cover those expenses in their buildings," Nathan said.

On building-code edits, staff proposed aligning the city’s high-rise definition with the model code by raising the height threshold from 55 feet to 75 feet, which the fire marshal estimated would remove roughly 45 buildings from the city's high‑rise inventory and reduce the number of projects that trigger additional high-rise requirements (voice alarms, command-center equipment and other systems). The city will also propose a retroactive sprinkler requirement for certain existing buildings with only a single stairway and no sprinklers, with a 12‑year compliance window, and a relaxation of some alarm requirements where buildings already have sprinklers.

Capital needs and loan request

Department leaders told the committee they are seeking authority to borrow internally from the Spokane investment pool to speed purchases with long lead times — particularly engines and ladder trucks — while the community safety sales tax receipts are collected to service the debt. The administration presented a $6.8 million internal loan proposal that would let the department place orders now for apparatus and other high‑cost items.

Committee members asked for a clearer line-item list before loan documents are finalized; staff said the fire department is preparing a detailed capital list that will accompany the loan paperwork. The committee did not record a vote during the hearing.

EMS, CARES and clerical support

The department also asked the committee to convert a part‑time clerk position supporting EMS/CARES operations to full time. Administrative Battalion Chief Anne Raven said the office underestimated the workload when the part-time position was created and that current duties are being handled by senior uniformed staff and a social worker rather than a dedicated clerk. "We vastly underestimated the amount of work when we first sought this position," Raven said. For 2025, Raven told the committee the department anticipates no additional funding is needed to support the converted full‑time hire because of vacancy timing; long‑term funding would be required thereafter.

Smoke‑alarm blitz and community incidents

During the department update, staff highlighted recent community prevention efforts including a smoke‑alarm blitz that installed about 275 alarms in roughly 80 homes in the Hilliard/Whitman corridor. Staff also described isolated rescues and citizen interventions highlighted as community successes.

What happens next

Staff said the municipal code changes and the loan authority will return to council for ordinance and resolution action; the committee asked administrators to supply a detailed capital purchasing list and to circulate full fee tables before final approval. No final council action was recorded in the committee transcript.

Ending

Committee members said they welcomed the department’s data-driven breakdown of call volumes and urged staff to return with the requested capital list and a clearer multi-year plan linking sales-tax allocations to debt service and academy hiring.