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Fire chief presents FY26 budget; requests equipment, pacing hose replacement and a battery stair chair
Summary
Fire Chief Brent Seiler presented the department's FY26 budget, describing staffing (15 career members plus part timers and volunteers), equipment and training needs, a phased hose-replacement plan and a $17,000 request for a battery stair chair to reduce back injuries on citizen-assist runs.
Fire Chief Brent Seiler presented the Red Bank Fire Department's FY26 budget estimate during the April 22 budget workshop, describing staffing, operations, training and capital needs and a multi-year plan for equipment replacement.
Chief Seiler described department staffing and deployment: 15 full-time career personnel, a part-time pool (about 27 part-timers reported) and six long-term volunteers; the department operates two stations, provides 24-hour coverage with five members on duty across shifts and fields roughly 970—1000 calls per year depending on the year. He said the department staffs four pumpers, a hose/service truck, a rescue truck, a UTV and three staff vehicles.
On personnel, the fire department's FY26 estimate includes the citywide 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment and an increase in overtime and part-time budgets tied to covering mandatory "Kelly days" and unplanned long-term absences. Chief Seiler said the department relies on part-time staff to avoid roughly $90,000 a year in overtime costs that would result if full-time employees were paid overtime to cover mandatory days off.
The chief outlined operational cost increases driven by vehicle maintenance and parts for modern diesel engines and emissions systems; he said pumps and compressors and SCBA maintenance are recurring and sometimes costly items. The department requested modest increases in vehicle-repair and parts budgets to better match actual historical spending.
Chief Seiler described capital and equipment priorities: a phased multi-year hose-replacement plan (to spread cost rather than replace all hose at once), replacement of aging pump valves with more reliable Akron-brand valves, conversion of battery-operated fans to a newer battery platform and a request for a battery-powered stair chair (quoted at about $17,000) to reduce injuries and physical strain on firefighters during "assist the citizen" calls. He said the stair chair would allow two members to move residents up stairs instead of physically carrying them, and that the membership recommended purchasing one to reduce work-related injuries and workers' compensation claims.
The chief also highlighted training investments, certifications, interstate mutual-aid participation (Tri State Mutual Aid) and state-provided firefighter cancer-screening coverage tied to occupational exposure rules. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about part-time budget swings, vehicle replacement cadence and the frequency of citizen-assist calls; Chief Seiler said he would provide more detailed cost estimates as the commission requested.
