Brooklyn Park officials say 12 firefighter vacancies stretch department; council to consider hiring four

Brooklyn Park — Fire department leaders told the City Council at a special work session that the Brooklyn Park Fire Department is short 12 of its 42 authorized operational firefighters and is asking the council to consider hiring four vetted candidates immediately and to discuss longer-term staffing and budget options next week.

Fire Chief Sean Conley told the council, “Currently, we are in a unique situation. We have 12 vacancies.” He and battalion chiefs outlined how that shortfall has forced two-person engine companies at times, heavier overtime use and temporary reductions in available apparatus.

The immediate request is narrow: hire four candidates already vetted on the city’s eligibility list, and repost remaining openings to build a larger bench. Conley said three additional new hires will graduate this Friday but are probationary and “do not count against our daily staff” until they complete 6 to 12 months of on-the-job training. The chiefs said it typically takes about 90 days to complete hiring steps (backgrounds and medical) and another 6–12 months of field training before new hires can be used as fully independent staffing.

Battalion Chief Miller gave a financial example of the current strain: “Some of our firefighters, some of our captains are actually taking home more in their overtime pay than they're making in their regular paychecks,” he said, arguing that continual reliance on overtime is fiscally unsustainable and physically stressful for employees.

Council members pressed staff on timing and cost. Director Latonya Green said contingency funding could be tapped but noted competing pressures on fund balance and capital plans: “It’s not quite $2,300,000,” she said when asked about the contingency balance, and warned that other draws and planned apparatus payments will limit flexibility. Staff and council agreed no formal action could be taken at the work session; Mayor Mary Winston said the hiring request will return to the council for a vote at the regular meeting next Monday.

Department leaders described operational consequences if vacancies persist. Conley and other chiefs said two-person engine companies reduce safe staffing on calls and can force the department to take larger trucks out of service. They noted a forecasted “brown out” (reduction of staffed units) scheduled for the seventh of the month and that, because of leave (medical, FMLA, military) and other absences, shortfalls could grow before new hires become fully available. Conley said the department has 8 paramedics and that medical calls account for roughly 70% of its responses.

Staff outlined a two-part approach: short-term hires from the current eligibility list and a longer-term budget conversation during the 2026–27 budget cycle. City staff identified several possible funding paths: contingency funds, reallocation from other departments with budgeted savings, or use of fund balance; finance staff cautioned that some fund-balance uses are already planned for apparatus purchases and potential bond sales, and recommended a careful analysis before shifting dollars.

Several council members emphasized public safety as a priority but said decisions will require trade-offs across the city budget. The council directed staff to provide a written analysis of contingency availability, other potential internal savings and the longer-term staffing model before the next council meeting.

No formal hires or budget transfers were approved at the work session. Staff said they will return with a recommendation and the fiscal analysis for council action.

The council recessed after those instructions and closed the special work session.