Grand Island proposes new ladder truck, Station 3 completion and equipment replacements in fire and ambulance budget

The Grand Island City Council reviewed the fire and ambulance portion of the fiscal 2026 budget on July 15, where the fire chief outlined capital projects, equipment replacements and requested operating increases intended to maintain response capacity as the city grows.

Fire Chief (unnamed in the transcript) said the department expects delivery of “just over $2,300,000” for a new ladder truck and that City Council previously allocated about $1.9 million remaining for Fire Station 3 construction. “Fire Station 3 is moving right along,” the chief said, and staff expect a punch‑list walkthrough in mid‑August followed by occupancy and completion of remaining site work this fall.

Operational requests include a $100,000 increase to the fire overtime budget and a $25,000 overtime increase for ambulance staffing. The chief said some overtime is reimbursable when firefighters deploy with Nebraska Task Force 1/USAR and that part of the overtime increase reflects growing call volume and training for paramedic certification. “A lot of it is reimbursed,” the chief said of USAR overtime, and he described the overtime request as partly driven by training and by filling shifts while employees attend paramedic school.

The department asked for several equipment and service allocations in the capital and operating budgets:

- First Due software: roughly $25,000 to consolidate report writing, scheduling, training and inspections into a single vendor. - Station internet: partnership with Alo Fiber to improve connectivity at three stations at about $4,140 per station per year. - Thermal imagers: $30,000 to replace aging thermal imagers for frontline engines and to add smaller units for ambulances. - Dive and water rescue: $50,000 requested to train and equip an in‑house dive/public safety dive team; the chief said the Saint Francis Foundation pledged a $5,000 contribution. - Cardiac monitors: replacement of up to seven cardiac monitors because the current manufacturer (Physio/Stryker) will stop servicing the older model; the chief said replacement is necessary to meet a state inspection requirement. - Lucas devices: replacement of two older Lucas mechanical CPR devices on frontline ambulances because manufacturer service will end for older models.

The chief also described fleet and maintenance cost pressures for new, more electronically complex ambulances and engines and noted vehicle repair costs remain high. He said staffing the third ambulance placed in service earlier this year has reduced recall levels and helped distribute workload among units, but overtime remains a driver of budget pressure.

During public comment later in the meeting, resident Dave Janda said rising city expenditures concern some taxpayers and criticized capital spending on a ladder truck and a new fire station while property taxes and costs for residents remain a concern. “It's amazing that we can build a fire station for 1.9, and we have a, you know, a 2.4 for 1 truck,” Janda said.

Ending: No formal vote occurred on the requests during the study session. Staff and the chief said some items may be covered by grants; council asked staff to return with final cost estimates, grant results and any recommended phasing for purchases.