Fire Department seeks extra aid car(s), bigger recruit class; council questions 'Ready Rebound' return‑to‑work idea

Summary

Central Staff told the Select Budget Committee the Seattle Fire Department’s 2026 proposed budget increases about 2.3% and includes recruit-class expansion, Health 99 overdose-response increases and new data/recruitment FTEs. Staff presented options to add aid cars — a 24/7 aid car (~$2.3M) or a 12‑hour peak car (~$912K) — and raised questions

At the Oct. 17 Select Budget Committee session Central Staff briefed members on the Seattle Fire Department’s 2026 proposed budget, including options to add aid cars, expand recruit classes and a council-level review of a third‑party ‘Ready Rebound’ service for firefighter injuries and return-to-work coordination.

Central Staff said the SFD 2026 proposed budget increases by about $8 million (roughly 2.3%) compared with the 2026 endorsed budget and that $5.5 million of that increase is driven by policy proposals not previously included. Karina Boll and Greg Doss presented the packet and identified two primary policy considerations: whether to add aid-car capacity and how to address firefighter injuries and long-duration workers’ compensation claims.

Recruiting, training and specific adds: SFD proposes a $2.1 million one-time add funded by the public-safety sales tax to expand its recruit academy from 80 to 100 recruits. Central Staff noted each recruit cohort has an approximate per-recruit full cost near $100,000…

Fire Department seeks extra aid car(s), bigger recruit class; council questions 'Ready Rebound' return‑to‑work idea

Summary

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