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Westminster fire chief outlines staffing shortfalls, training facility needs and EMS revenue that offsets costs
Summary
Fire Chief Eric Burke told the Jan. 27 Westminster City Council the department is functionally short frontline staff because recruits are tied up in extended academies and attrition, and urged investment in a local training facility and staffing options.
Fire Chief Eric Burke presented the Westminster Fire Department's 2025 staffing and budget priorities at a Jan. 27 council meeting, telling council members the department faces ongoing staffing shortfalls, long apparatus lead times and a need for a local training facility.
"The fire department has a total of a 53 full time employees," Chief Burke said, describing the department's administrative and operational structure and highlighting emergency medical services revenue. "In 02/2024, the Westminster Fire Department collected $3,200,000 for transport and medical related services," he said, adding the department received about $2,100,000 from the state's EMS supplemental reimbursement last year.
Burke said those medical revenues (roughly $5.3 million in 2024) have helped the city pay for equipment, turn leased engines into purchases and acquire medical devices, and he recommended continuing to use those funds strategically. He also outlined staffing and training pressures: the department has 39 EMS FTEs (36 assigned to station response) and three training FTEs; recruitment and extended academy lengths have left the department functionally short in the field.
"We added six firefighters in '23 in an attempt to offset overtime, but because of attrition we've never actually had the six firefighters in the field," Burke said. He estimated the department is currently functionally down about 9% in frontline staffing because recruits are tied up in a nine-month academy and because of retirements and other attrition.
The chief described the department's near-term priorities: infrastructure repairs at aging stations (including diesel exhaust systems and concrete replacement), a local training facility to reduce travel and academy bottlenecks, and options to address service gaps in southern Westminster. Burke said lead times for new fire apparatus have stretched to two-to-three years and that vehicle maintenance workload is rising.
Burke and city staff outlined possible funding paths: using urban renewal area funds for capital (while noting URA dollars cannot fund personnel), applying for FEMA SAFER grants that cover some firefighter salaries for three years, and setting aside EMS supplemental reimbursement to build capital reserves. He also said the city recently ordered a type-3 wildland-capable engine (Burke said it was ordered in 2022 and expected to arrive in March) and discussed repurposing existing buildings as potential interim training or station space.
Council members asked for more detail and for an updated plan. Several councilors recommended pursuing partnerships with neighboring agencies for purchasing and training, reviewing existing city-owned parcels for station siting, and accelerating options that would produce measurable reductions in overtime and response gaps.
What happens next: Burke said staff will return with more detailed options, including URA reviews, grant pursuit and capital-phasing that could address training and station shortfalls. Council requested a follow-up presentation on lessons learned from recent large wildfires and on how to align capital and operating funding.
Clarifying details: The department reported roughly 53 full-time employees overall; 39 EMS FTEs (36 in line operations); three training FTEs. In 2024 the department reported approximately $3.2 million in transport revenue and $2.1 million in EMS supplemental reimbursement. A planning-level estimate for a new north station was cited as about $16,300,000 (estimate; costs will change over time). Burke described a functional frontline staffing shortfall of about 9% due to recruits in a longer academy and attrition.
Ending: Council directed staff to return with funding options and a phased plan that balances capital priorities (training facility, station replacement or renovation) with operating needs (hiring, overtime reduction). Staff will also explore FEMA SAFER grants, URA options and potential partnerships for procurement and training.
