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Fire chief outlines hiring, training, hazmat readiness and rising insurance costs
Summary
Fire Chief Jeff Kindert presented a 2026 budget request that emphasizes staffing, training, equipment maintenance and new cameras for apparatus; the department reported hazmat and rope teams have expanded and noted a significant increase in property and liability insurance premiums tied to claims history.
Jeff Kindert, chief of the Richmond Fire Department, presented the department’s 2026 budget and described investments in personnel, training, vehicles, hazmat capabilities and vehicle/ambulance camera systems.
Kindert told the Committee the department remains focused on protecting lives, property and the environment while balancing fiscal responsibility. He said the department reduced some fleet and parts accounts but requested increases in accounts for installing exterior and training‑center cameras, dash‑cam cloud services and equipment repairs (including tornado‑siren batteries). “We put cameras…in the Station 5 parking lot, the training center and inside the…
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