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Fire chief presents steady budget; department emphasizes EMS demand, situation table and planned SCBA replacement
Summary
Fire Department leaders told the council that most calls are medical emergencies, described the situation-table coordination for people in crisis, and requested steady funding while pursuing capital replacement for self-contained breathing apparatus and other items.
The Newport Fire Department presented a largely steady two-year budget projection while emphasizing that most operational demand is emergency medical services, not structural fires.
The department’s speaker said the service averaged roughly 7,000 calls per year and that about 64% of incidents were EMS related. The chief framed much of the department’s recent work as prevention and partner coordination: fire-prevention plan reviews, inspections, an alarm-management program and outreach to schools and seniors.
Fire leadership described the city’s situation table — a weekly multi-agency meeting that brings together local service providers to coordinate care for individuals at acute risk. The chief said the table exists to reduce repeat emergency contacts and to link people with services more quickly when they are willing to accept help. As one example, staff reviewed an analysis that found a concentrated area with more than 900 calls over 18 months attributable primarily to about 11 frequent users; that pattern helped motivate the more formal cross-agency approach.
On capital needs, the department requested funding over several years for a scheduled replacement of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottles and packs (a multi-year program with a suggested four-year replacement cadence) and continued fire-hose replacement. The department said the SCBA program could be a roughly $1 million project phased over multiple years, with an initial city match request (approx. $250,000) tied to a FEMA grant application.
The chief also highlighted the fire department’s maritime capabilities. The department’s fireboat played a critical role in a recent out-of-town hotel fire, supplying high-volume water when local infrastructure was depleted. The chief said crews maintain the vessel, and dedicated budget money from two years ago remains available for repairs.
On social-service partnerships, the department described its role supporting winter warming centers and coordinating with Newport County Mental Health and other partners; staff said the city acts as a fiduciary for some state grant reimbursements and helps facilitate billing when community partners run warming centers. Planning for next winter’s warming center and capacity contingencies begins immediately, the chief said.
The presentation included a recent settlement of a three-year firefighters’ contract; the department said pay-step changes were absorbed in this year’s budget. No formal decisions or votes were taken during the session; councilors asked for follow-up on frequent users and warming-center planning.
