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Moscow Volunteer Fire Department reports record 3,002 calls, outlines staffing and recruitment plans
Summary
The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department reported a 9% increase in calls in 2024 to 3,002, described volunteer staffing pressures, training hours, recruitment efforts and an expanded stipend program; city staff clarified that municipalities are not required by state law to provide EMS.
Moscow Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bridal Nickerson told the City Council that MVFD responded to a record 3,002 calls in 2024, a 9% increase over the previous year, and outlined staffing, training and recruitment plans.
"We set a record last year of 3,002 calls, which is 9% more than what we responded to the year before," Chief Bridal Nickerson said. He reported that 73% of calls were emergency medical services (EMS) incidents and that the department handled roughly 70 fires. The department recorded 1,080 overlapping calls (about 35.9% of total) where multiple incidents occurred at once.
Nickerson reported 293 false alarms in 2024 and said the department completed 263 inspections, down from 370 the year before, while continuing community outreach including CPR classes, station tours and event standbys. He said MVFD logged about 12,063 hours of training in 2024 and that two paramedic students are completing school in coming months.
On staffing, the chief said the department recently completed a recruitment and assessment center, hired two new personnel, lost one accepted candidate who declined and has a new candidate pending physical and background checks expected to start in May or June. The city also expanded a stipend program for seasonal coverage and resident positions and increased the resident program from 24 to 28.
Council members asked about the volunteer base and the division between paid and volunteer staffing. City staff member Bill explained the municipal legal context: "the city does have a duty and obligation to fire to provide fire suppression services, but we do not have a duty to provide EMS services," adding that EMS is frequently funded through fee-for-service transport billing and limited grants rather than direct state municipal funding.
Councilors pressed Chief Nickerson on recruitment and time commitment. The chief said basic EMT training is about 120 hours and estimated the cost to train an EMT including equipment and mentorship at roughly $1,500–$2,000 per person. He said onboarding requires several weeks of orientation and a continuing minimum commitment of about 24 hours per month from volunteers, though some volunteers record far more.
Nickerson said the department is the only paramedic-level service in the county and provides about 20–30 mutual-aid paramedic responses per year to neighboring jurisdictions, which benefits paramedics’ skills and countywide patient care.
Councilors thanked MVFD volunteers and staff. No policy vote was taken at the meeting on MVFD matters; the report was informational.
