Fire chief: 6,959 man-hours in 2024; council warned volunteer losses would raise costs

Fire Chief Jay Long told the Sunbury City Council the fire department recorded 6,959.37 combined training and on-scene man-hours in 2024 and cautioned that losing volunteer personnel would produce significant additional payroll costs if the city moved to paid staffing.

Chief Long said the department responded regionally — noting automatic mutual-aid coverage across a large geographic area — and that the recorded man-hours, when multiplied by a notional $25-per-hour rate, equal $173,984.25. He emphasized that figure represents labor for a single-person equivalent and that fully replacing volunteers with paid personnel would cost far more.

Long also reported that the department was dispatched about 650 times in the year (figure given in the report) and that the department continues to push training, standardization, and closer inter-company coordination. He said the Red Cross plans a smoke-detector distribution for municipalities later in the March–April timeframe and asked the council to help identify residents in need.

Why it matters

Volunteer-dependent fire services are common in the region; the chief’s man-hour totals and cost estimate were presented to underline the fiscal implications of any move toward paid staffing. Council members discussed vehicle maintenance and capital needs separately in the meeting; the chief framed personnel and training as elements that require steady funding.

Details and follow-up

- Activity totals: Chief Long reported 6,959.37 man-hours (training and on-scene combined) and roughly 650 dispatches for the previous year.

- Cost example: Chief Long provided an illustrative multiplication of the man-hours by $25/hr to show a single-person equivalent cost of $173,984.25; he noted this does not represent full replacement payroll costs.

- Mutual aid and coverage: The chief said the department provides automatic mutual-aid coverage across a wide area and responded to incidents in approximately 23 municipalities in 2024.

- Equipment and vehicles: Council and staff discussed vehicle maintenance, capital replacement and possible funding sources (USDA loans, municipal capital reserves, leasing vs. purchase). Council urged exploring capital reserves and loan programs and noted outfitting costs add substantially to vehicle purchase prices.

- Community outreach: Chief Long asked for council assistance to identify residents for Red Cross smoke-detector distribution in late March or April.

The council asked staff to continue evaluating capital needs and potential funding avenues.