Westminster fire chief outlines staffing shortfalls, revenue and need for training facility and station expansion

Fire Chief Eric Burke told Westminster City Council on Jan. 27 that the fire department is functionally short-staffed, that calls for service have risen substantially over the past two decades, and that the department needs additional training capacity, capital investment and options to close service gaps in the southern part of the city.

Staffing and training constraints: The chief said the department has 53 full-time employees and that recent operational staffing is constrained because multiple recruits are in an extended academy. “Functionally, we’re down about 9% in the field because we have nine recruits that are in the academy,” Burke said, and he explained the department’s academy length has grown — in part because Westminster now provides EMT instruction as part of the academy and the regional training calendar is crowded — which has prolonged onboarding…