Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Fire chief warns 15% budget cut could shutter companies; city grapples with aging stations and rising equipment costs
Summary
Fire Chief Chris Costamania told Sacramento City Council the department faces retirements, supply delays and rising prices for apparatus, and that a potential 15% budget cut would force closures of fire companies and affect response capacity.
Fire Chief Chris Costamania told the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday that the fire department has expanded demands amid retirements and city growth and that proposed large budget reductions would threaten companies, stations and response times.
Costamania said the department has about 178 firefighters and 24 stations serving the city and contract areas, and that the agency handled roughly 79,000 medical calls and about 5,700 fire calls in the most recent year presented. He warned that a 15% budget reduction for the department — which he described in budget scenarios as roughly $23.4 million — could result in the closure of up to eight companies.
Why it matters: Costamania said Sacramento's geography and recent vertical and infill development — including future growth in the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
