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Fire department presents $283.3 million 2026 budget, flags SAFER grant rolloffs and station projects
Summary
Indianapolis Fire Department outlined personnel, grants and capital plans for 2026, citing a 4.5% increase driven largely by SAFER grant transitions and salary commitments; fire leaders highlighted accreditation and community risk programs.
Fire Department leaders presented the Indianapolis Fire Department’s introduced 2026 budget to the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, describing personnel needs, the end of key grant funding, capital plans and community safety programs.
Chief Malone (Indianapolis Fire Department) and the department’s CFO, Dawn Sykes Bridal, told the committee the 2026 introduced budget totals $283,300,000 and represents an approximate 4.5% increase over the 2025 revised budget. The department said the largest driver of the personnel increase is the end of a SAFER grant that currently funds 50 firefighters; those positions will need to be absorbed into the general fund beginning in 2026 unless new federal funding is awarded. Malone said another SAFER grant that funds 50 firefighters expires in January 2027 and the department has a pending SAFER application that, if awarded, would fund an additional 50 positions…
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