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Revere fire chief says staffing will rely on overtime and grant seeks to add positions; ideal staffing target is 130
Summary
The Fire Department told the subcommittee the FY2026 budget holds most positions but will rely on overtime to cover vacancies; the department is applying for a SAFER grant and said its ideal staffing level is about 130 firefighters, which would support seven companies including the reopening of Engine 2.
The Revere Fire Department told the Ways and Means Subcommittee on June 10 that fiscal 2026’s budget is mostly level-funded but will rely on overtime and staffing strategies to cover vacancies, and department leaders said they are applying for a federal SAFER grant to help add personnel.
The Fire Chief told the committee the department budget is “pretty straightforward” and largely level-funded, with payroll changes tied to annual increases. The chief confirmed some positions will remain unfilled this year because of constraints: “we budgeted for a 119, uniform positions and we had 1 civilian, clerk position that was unfilled that that we're not going to fill this year.”
Councilor McKenna asked whether the new fire station’s staff were included in the budget. The chief said the staff needs for the station are in the plan and that the department will rely on overtime to maintain coverage while vacancies exist: “so when this vacancy is due to vacations or sick time we'll be pretty much operating with our staff and just supplementing with overtime… we're hoping over the next few years that we we increase the manpower.”
The chief said the department’s long-term ideal staffing level is about 130 personnel to support seven companies once the reopened Engine 2 is in service: “ideally our number should be about a 130 and that's 7 companies with the new engine 2 reopening.”
On efforts to secure more personnel, the chief said the department is applying for the SAFER grant (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response), which has historically funded additional positions: “It may worth noting that we are applying for the SAFER grama, which, has historically given us additional positions. So we're hoping that we can have positions through the grant process.”
There were no votes or formal changes recorded; councilors asked questions about staffing levels, unfilled positions and plans to increase manpower over time.
