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Fire chief warns proposed 2026 cuts would reduce sworn strength and erase CARES unit capacity
Summary
Saint Paul Fire Chief told the Finance and Budget Committee that the proposed 2026 budget would eliminate a deputy chief for EMS, three firefighter positions and nine BLS FTEs (six overnight BLS and three CARES positions) by attrition. Chief said the department will continue responding to calls but that reductions create coverage gaps and increase
Saint Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks told the Finance and Budget Committee that the department’s 2026 proposal includes reductions that would lower sworn staffing and remove a dedicated CARES response unit, even as run volumes and emergency medical calls remain high.
Chief’s summary of the proposal Chief Inks said the department is proposing that three firefighter positions be removed (a reduction carried forward from 2025), a deputy chief position in EMS (who leads the CARES team) be reduced through attrition, and nine basic life support (BLS) FTEs be eliminated (six assigned to overnight BLS response and three assigned to CARES). He said those reductions came as difficult choices intended to avoid layoffs elsewhere in the city budget.
Why it matters: frontline staffing and response model Inks repeatedly told the committee the department will continue to respond to all 911 calls but warned the staffing reductions would create “gaps” by forcing advanced life support (ALS) units to cover basic needs at times — a change that…
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