Sterling Heights Fire Department outlines Station 5 remodel, EMS changes and vehicle replacements in budget workshop

Fire Chief Kevin Edmonds told the Sterling Heights City Council at a budget workshop that the fire department is seeking several capital and operational changes in fiscal 2025–26, including a planned renovation of Fire Station 5, a quick-response vehicle (QRV), continued apparatus replacement and a shift in how emergency medical calls are dispatched and staffed.

Edmonds said the department has completed a strategic plan and a standard-of-cover review that drives the projects now under way. “We have a vision and a strategic plan which will chart the course for a more sustainable, effective, and efficient delivery of service,” Edmonds said.

The chief described the Station 5 concept as an addition and interior remodel to correct aging living quarters and add modern features now standard in the industry: dedicated decontamination spaces, laundry/extractor capacity, sealed “clean cab” storage for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), individual bunk rooms and expanded fitness and locker areas. Edmonds said the design will introduce a decon flow from apparatus bay into a wash/laundry area and then into gear storage, and that Station 5 renovations are intended to be the last station remodeled as the city updates safety standards across all five buildings.

Why it matters: Council members said Station 5’s seating, sleeping and decontamination deficiencies raise health and safety concerns for firefighters. City funding and federal and state grants have already paid for some improvements at other stations; Council members pressed for monitoring and equipment to detect exhaust or contamination levels.

EMS, dispatch and “peak” staffing

Assistant Chief Kelly described several operational changes intended to reduce low-acuity ambulance transports, keep paramedic resources in their districts and target repeat 911 users. “We’re gonna implement a tiered response system,” Kelly said, and added he believes Sterling Heights will be the pilot in Macomb County for the five-level dispatch model being developed with Medcom/Comtech and county medical advisers.

Kelly and Edmonds said the tiered system will move from a binary life/non-life model to five dispatch levels that better match resources to patient need: (blue) life-threatening, (red) serious, (orange) potentially serious, (yellow) lower priority, and (green) low-acuity incidents that can safely wait for a lower-priority response.

The fire department plans to pilot two EMT-staffed ambulances for peak hours (ten-hour shifts, tentatively 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Tuesday–Friday) to handle lower-acuity calls and to reserve paramedic ambulances for high-acuity incidents. Chief Kelly said the target implementation is late summer, contingent on hiring and training timelines; those EMT ambulances would run from the center of the city to maximize coverage.

Targeting repeat users and mobile integrated health

The department showed internal call-data analysis used to create interventions for frequent callers. Chief Kelly said the department identified seven “super users” who called 15 times or more in a year and one person transported 42 times in a single year. The department plans to use a Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) officer and existing case workers to coordinate services for high-use individuals and break the 911–ER–re-admit cycle.

Apparatus and fleet

Edmonds described a multi-year replacement plan. A new pumper ordered in 2023 will arrive this year to replace a 1999 engine; one 2012 engine will move to backup service. He said four engines purchased in the last four years are frontline, and the department plans to bring the ladder truck replacement in as a 2027 delivery after locking a 2024 price with the manufacturer. Ambulance replacements will include two vehicles arriving across the next budget cycles to support the planned peak-staffing changes. The department will bid the QRV in May–June with a 9–12 month lead time and deployment planned for spring 2026.

Occupational health measures

Edmonds emphasized the department’s cancer-reduction work: two sets of turnout gear per member, gross decontamination on-scene, on-station extractors and “clean cab” storage to reduce carcinogen exposure. He noted funding came from federal Assistance to Firefighters/AFG grants and state sources.

AEDs and public access

Kelly said the city has about 40 AEDs in municipal buildings and patrol cars and plans to replace aging units. He also described interest in park-accessible AED cabinets that provide video CPR guidance and remote monitoring; the units take a photograph when opened and can connect to a monitoring service to notify dispatch.

Council response and next steps

Council members praised the data-driven approach and asked technical follow-ups on contamination monitoring, timelines and staff recruiting. Edmonds and staff said some items rely on grant funding and external delivery timelines (vehicle build times and vendor leads). Several council members requested additional cost and feasibility detail for staffing increases and for phased station renovations.

Ending

Edmonds closed by thanking staff and council for multi-year investments and said implementation will continue through FY 2025–26 budget decisions and future capital plans.