Annapolis fire chief asks for funds to replace aging apparatus, shore up staffing and technology

Fire Chief Doug Romali told the Annapolis Finance Standing Committee on April 24 that the Fire Departmentis asking for capital outlays and staffing to sustain response standards, replace aging apparatus and cover rising operating costs.

Romali said the department will need to replace at least one pumper (a vehicle he said costs about $1 million) and a medic unit (about $450,000) and asked members to consider options such as leasing or staged replacement because of long manufacturer lead times. He also described planned purchases of cardiac monitors, ballistic vests on a five-year replacement cycle and radios, and warned of higher electric bills for stations.

The requests matter, Romali told the committee, because most of the departmentbudget is personnel costs and staffing shortfalls directly affect daily responses and overtime. He noted that Annapolis has not had a fatal fire since 2010 and credited that record to prevention and response standards; he said the department must preserve that performance as equipment and staffing age.

Romali outlined several specific pressures. Two firefighters are in paramedic school and four are in the fire academy; those employees are out of the field while training, which increases overtime. The department is asking for capital outlay money to replace outdated boilers at two stations; Romali said a portion of capital in the fire budget will flow to central services for station work. He told aldermen that approximately $775,000 in his budget is used for fleet maintenance under central services.

On large equipment, Romali said a new manufacturer lead time can be two to four years and an electric pumper would cost substantially morehe quoted roughly $2.2 million for an electric model. He and others also said electrification raises infrastructure needs, such as charging stations, and noted federal grant programs could offset part of the higher purchase price if the city qualifies.

Romali described several requested personnel and contract enhancements that were not included in the mayors proposed budget: an IT or technology-support position to manage records and staffing systems; a logistics/medical-supplies manager or contract arrangement; and additional uniform positions to reduce cross-staffing of medic and suppression units. He said the department asked for 10 positions as an illustrative target to move toward four-person suppression crews and reduce cross-staffing; Romali said that package would cost about $1 million.

Deputy Chief Matt Lopez and others described an ongoing transition to a single records-management and staffing platform. Lopez said battalion chiefs have spent hundreds of unpaid hours implementing the system and the department needs dedicated IT support to avoid diverting senior operational staff.

Committee members asked about other details: a likely $35,000 to $40,000 increase in electric (BGE) costs for stations; the status of restroom and station repairs at Forest Drive and Eastport (Romali said designs are under way and funding is in the capital budget); and whether firefighters who train as paramedics continue to rotate between suppression and medic duties (Romali said members are cross-trained and will not be strictly reassigned to medics).

Alderman Finlayson used the public portion of the meeting to thank specific fire personnel by name for their care during a medical emergency a year earlier; she presented a letter for personnel files.

The department said it expects to continue bringing capital requests and will pursue federal grants such as SAFER where feasible. Romali and the deputy chiefs emphasized that most of the departmentbudget is salaries and benefits, so any significant cuts would reduce units on the street and lengthen response times.

The committee recessed after the presentation to begin deliberations on the broader city budget.