Union-backed study says Bethlehem Fire Department falls short of NFPA benchmarks; committee hears budget memo
October 30, 2025 | Bethlehem, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, Pennsylvania
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Bethlehem — A union-commissioned staffing and response study presented Oct. 29 to the Bethlehem City Council Public Safety Committee found the city’s fire department falls short of national staffing and travel-time benchmarks and recommended adding personnel and a new station to improve citywide coverage.
Lou Jimenez, president of Local 735 and a lieutenant in the Bethlehem Fire Department, told the committee the GIS-based analysis — prepared with the IAFF GIS division and data provided by the city — shows the department does not meet NFPA 1710 targets for first-arriving unit travel time and initial assignment manpower. "We do not hit any of these benchmarks, and that's alarming," Jimenez said during the presentation.
A memorandum from Business Administrator Eric Evans, read into the record by a staff member, said the city issued an RFP on Sept. 9 for an "objective comprehensive fire and EMS apparatus protection and efficiency study" and plans to review vendor responses the week after the meeting. The memo also summarized proposed 2026 fire-department budget items: a $15,000,000 proposed operating budget that includes a 3% salary increase (not including overtime), sending 15 cadets to the fire academy in 2026 at an estimated cost of $300,000, and two new fire apparatus planned in the capital budget at an estimated $3,800,000. The memo said the administration intends to bring funding recommendations to council in December and to initiate the study in early 2026.
The union study described operational shortfalls in several measures. Jimenez said the study found about 80% of incidents meet a four-minute travel-time threshold versus the NFPA 90% target, and that a citywide "two-in/two-out" safe-entry coverage within four minutes exists for roughly 26% of the city. The presentation said meeting NFPA minimum staffing would raise that coverage to about 54%, and adding a GIS-recommended station near Linden and East Gepp would raise coverage further.
The study reported unit-response figures and workload growth: more than 4,700 calls for service in 2024 and more than 9,000 individual apparatus responses that year (the presentation distinguished call volume from unit responses). "Unit responses are the individual apparatus that respond. In 2024, we had over 4,700 calls for service," Jimenez said.
Former Bethlehem firefighter David Roof, speaking during public comment, gave a historical perspective, saying, "When I got on the job, we had a 116 firefighters, 26 per shift," and that the department now has fewer personnel despite city growth and new commercial and residential developments.
Active-duty firefighter Kyle Dalton, treasurer of the Bethlehem Firefighters Association, urged the committee to consider seconds of response time as critical. "You can boil the difference between life and death down for people in this community in 1 breath. Takes about 6 seconds," Dalton said, arguing that additional staffing improves task concurrency and scene safety.
Specific operational recommendations presented by the union study included staffing all suppression apparatus to four personnel (three firefighters plus one officer), targeting about 31 personnel per shift to meet model benchmarks versus the department’s current operating level of roughly 18 per shift, and siting an additional station (the presenter identified a location near Linden and East Gepp). The presenter said those numbers derive from the GIS coverage model and NFPA-aligned benchmarks.
Committee members asked about retirements, overtime, and how the union study differs from the city’s planned apparatus-efficiency RFP. Jimenez said retirements are a near-term staffing risk: members in the DROP program could retire quickly and the presenter estimated between 30 and 35 personnel could be time-eligible for retirement in the coming period. On overtime, the presenter said the department has used overtime to maintain current levels and that many members have been mandated to work beyond their regular shifts.
On the difference between studies, Jimenez said the union-funded GIS staffing study focused on staffing and coverage and did not analyze apparatus procurement; the administration’s RFP, he said, appeared oriented to apparatus protection and efficiency under current funding assumptions. Committee members encouraged joint review of the interactive maps and further meetings with staff and the union before the December budget decisions.
The meeting was informational only; no motions or votes were taken. Jimenez and others offered to meet with the committee and staff to walk through the study’s interactive maps and CAD-based findings.
Quotes in this article are taken directly from the record of the Oct. 29, 2025 Bethlehem Public Safety Committee meeting.
Lou Jimenez, president of Local 735 and a lieutenant in the Bethlehem Fire Department, told the committee the GIS-based analysis — prepared with the IAFF GIS division and data provided by the city — shows the department does not meet NFPA 1710 targets for first-arriving unit travel time and initial assignment manpower. "We do not hit any of these benchmarks, and that's alarming," Jimenez said during the presentation.
A memorandum from Business Administrator Eric Evans, read into the record by a staff member, said the city issued an RFP on Sept. 9 for an "objective comprehensive fire and EMS apparatus protection and efficiency study" and plans to review vendor responses the week after the meeting. The memo also summarized proposed 2026 fire-department budget items: a $15,000,000 proposed operating budget that includes a 3% salary increase (not including overtime), sending 15 cadets to the fire academy in 2026 at an estimated cost of $300,000, and two new fire apparatus planned in the capital budget at an estimated $3,800,000. The memo said the administration intends to bring funding recommendations to council in December and to initiate the study in early 2026.
The union study described operational shortfalls in several measures. Jimenez said the study found about 80% of incidents meet a four-minute travel-time threshold versus the NFPA 90% target, and that a citywide "two-in/two-out" safe-entry coverage within four minutes exists for roughly 26% of the city. The presentation said meeting NFPA minimum staffing would raise that coverage to about 54%, and adding a GIS-recommended station near Linden and East Gepp would raise coverage further.
The study reported unit-response figures and workload growth: more than 4,700 calls for service in 2024 and more than 9,000 individual apparatus responses that year (the presentation distinguished call volume from unit responses). "Unit responses are the individual apparatus that respond. In 2024, we had over 4,700 calls for service," Jimenez said.
Former Bethlehem firefighter David Roof, speaking during public comment, gave a historical perspective, saying, "When I got on the job, we had a 116 firefighters, 26 per shift," and that the department now has fewer personnel despite city growth and new commercial and residential developments.
Active-duty firefighter Kyle Dalton, treasurer of the Bethlehem Firefighters Association, urged the committee to consider seconds of response time as critical. "You can boil the difference between life and death down for people in this community in 1 breath. Takes about 6 seconds," Dalton said, arguing that additional staffing improves task concurrency and scene safety.
Specific operational recommendations presented by the union study included staffing all suppression apparatus to four personnel (three firefighters plus one officer), targeting about 31 personnel per shift to meet model benchmarks versus the department’s current operating level of roughly 18 per shift, and siting an additional station (the presenter identified a location near Linden and East Gepp). The presenter said those numbers derive from the GIS coverage model and NFPA-aligned benchmarks.
Committee members asked about retirements, overtime, and how the union study differs from the city’s planned apparatus-efficiency RFP. Jimenez said retirements are a near-term staffing risk: members in the DROP program could retire quickly and the presenter estimated between 30 and 35 personnel could be time-eligible for retirement in the coming period. On overtime, the presenter said the department has used overtime to maintain current levels and that many members have been mandated to work beyond their regular shifts.
On the difference between studies, Jimenez said the union-funded GIS staffing study focused on staffing and coverage and did not analyze apparatus procurement; the administration’s RFP, he said, appeared oriented to apparatus protection and efficiency under current funding assumptions. Committee members encouraged joint review of the interactive maps and further meetings with staff and the union before the December budget decisions.
The meeting was informational only; no motions or votes were taken. Jimenez and others offered to meet with the committee and staff to walk through the study’s interactive maps and CAD-based findings.
Quotes in this article are taken directly from the record of the Oct. 29, 2025 Bethlehem Public Safety Committee meeting.
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