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Four borough emergency service areas present staffing and capital requests; chiefs cite improved coverage and persistent volunteer gaps
Summary
Chiefs from Central, Kachemak, Western and Nikiski described budgets, staffing proposals and capital projects. Central probes staffing for a new Kasiloff station, Kachemak reported big drops in response time after moving to 24‑hour coverage, and Western and Nikiski highlighted volunteer recruitment and vehicle replacements.
Fire and emergency medical chiefs from four borough service areas told the Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly on May 20 that budgets for fiscal 2026 emphasize staffing, station safety upgrades and replacement apparatus, while volunteer recruitment remains a persistent challenge.
Central Emergency Services Chief Roy Browning said his service area proposed a mill rate reduction from 3.21 to 2.95 while adding staff to improve coverage. Browning requested four firefighter positions to staff Station 6 (Kasiloff) as 56‑hour positions so the station can operate with two-person minimum staffing on each 24‑hour shift; if approved, that change would restore 24/7 ambulance coverage at the station. He said the CES area covers roughly 1,000 square miles and reported roughly 3,252 incidents across the combined service area in the last calendar year.
Browning outlined capital and safety priorities: a new fire…
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