Harrisburg fire chief seeks full‑time inspector, phases of $1.8M training‑grounds plan

Chief Michael Dunn on Tuesday presented the Fire Department’s FY26 operating and capital requests, including a proposal to convert a part‑time fire inspector into a full‑time position and a phased training‑grounds buildout that would cost about $1.8 million at full buildout.

Dunn said the department responded to 2,939 incidents in 2024, producing 4,422 unit responses, and credited annual inspections with reducing a single-store fire loss from potentially millions to about $25,000. He said the town’s part‑time inspector position, created in 2011, regularly exceeds the thousand‑hour cap on part‑time work and that growth in the fire district — from roughly 14,000 residents in 2012 to a little over 24,000 in 2024 — has driven inspection workload from roughly 350 inspected occupancies to more than 900.

Those operational points framed Dunn’s requests, which included: converting the current part‑time fire inspector to full time in FY26 and a six‑phase training‑grounds project. Phase 1 would grade the site, install a logistics garage and utilities and deliver an on‑site assembled building; Dunn gave a phase‑1 estimate of about $513,000 and said the total phased project is roughly $1.7–$1.8 million. Later phases include concrete pads in front of the burn building and logistics garage, a driveway tying areas together, vehicle extrication surfaces and, finally, a classroom/training facility with showers and locker rooms.

Why it matters

Dunn said a full‑time fire inspector would improve inspection continuity and availability for businesses, strengthen public education programs and help the town meet state heavy‑rescue equipment standards. The training grounds, he said, would give Harrisburg a dedicated place for live‑fire training, vehicle extrication and technical rescue drills and would be used with Rowan‑Cabarrus Community College for regional training.

Council reaction and finance context

Council members expressed support for firefighters’ training needs but raised direct questions about trade‑offs. Councilman Smith and others noted the town already plans a major Station 1 relocation (estimated in the budget model at about $15 million) and asked whether funding the training project would delay that larger capital project. Town Manager Rob responded that the training request is not funded in recommended operations and that capital projects compete for the town’s capital reserve fund; he said the town typically reviews and prioritizes competing capital requests between Draft 1 and Draft 2 of the budget process. He added the town can fund phase 1 from the capital reserve if council prioritizes it but emphasized it will compete with parks, transportation and utility projects.

Council members also asked whether Rowan‑Cabarrus Community College would contribute capital dollars; Chief Dunn said the college is providing training supplies and has supplied shipping containers on site but has indicated it cannot fund major capital construction.

Discussion points and clarifications

- The inspector conversion was presented as a personnel request within the FY26 budget; Dunn described the history of the role and stated it regularly exceeds the part‑time hour cap. The council did not take a vote during the workshop. - The training grounds proposal is presented as a phased, multi‑year capital project; phase 1 is estimated at about $513,000. Dunn suggested the town could pare the phase‑1 scope if council prefers lower initial spending. - Rowan‑Cabarrus Community College will partner operationally (training supplies and class support) but has not committed capital funds. - Dunn said the town’s fire crews recorded five lives saved by CPR in 2024 and listed property and incident statistics to support the operational requests.

What’s next

Neither the inspector conversion nor any phase of the training grounds was adopted at the workshop. Staff said Draft 2 (scheduled later in the budget calendar) will present refined capital‑reserve analyses and competing priorities so council members can decide how projects rank relative to Station 1 relocation and other capital needs.

Ending note

Chief Dunn and staff framed the training grounds as a phased project intended to reduce long‑term training costs and provide a controlled, safer training environment. Council members asked for narrower phase‑1 scopes, potential cost offsets, and an explicit comparison to the Station 1 relocation plan before committing capital funds.