Redmond staff advance 2025'2050 Fire Department Functional Plan; council asks for fiscal integration before final adoption

Fire Chief Adrian Shepherd and Deputy Chief Ami Quirricone presented the city's proposed 2025'2050 Fire Department Functional Plan at the Oct. 14 study session, describing a long'range capital roadmap to align stations, apparatus, and staffing with projected growth.

Shepherd described the plan as a document that "connects our facilities, fleet, and equipment needs with the investment strategies to deliver them," and Quirricone said the plan "ensures our fire systems keep pace with Redmond's growth, risk environment and community expectations." Staff said the plan is intended to integrate with Redmond 2050 and the citywide capital investment strategy and is required before the city can update and legally use fire impact fees.

Key elements in the plan include prioritized station work (a major rebuild or renovation of Station 11, relocation and expansion of Station 12, life'cycle renovation of Station 16, interior completion work on Station 17, and a contingency plan that could add a downtown station identified as Station 19). The plan also calls for a logistics/warehouse facility, training spaces, and purchases of tractor'drawn aerial apparatus to address vertical and rail rescue needs.

On cost, staff said the plan identifies about $83 million in projects through the 2050 horizon, with another roughly $70 million identified beyond 2050 (the latter primarily two additional stations). Staff described a diversified fiscal approach combining updated impact fees (which cannot be implemented until the plan is adopted), general fund dollars, grants, levies and bonds. Deputy Chief Quirricone presented a short'term funding package for 2027''32 that totals about $26.5 million and said much of that near'term total is driven by the Station 11 remodel ("probably about $15 to $20 million of that").

Council members pressed staff on next steps and fiscal coordination. Council member Stewart said she supported adopting the plan but wanted a formal integration with the finance director's capital facilities plan and a clear matrix of outstanding questions before formal adoption. Council members asked staff to incorporate planning commission clarifications (the planning commission had made several language and clarity recommendations) and to return with funding details after the finance briefing in late October. Quirricone confirmed the planning commission recommendations are editorial and clarifying in nature and are available for council direction.

Staff recommended the council adopt the functional plan by reference into the Redmond 2050 capital facilities element and return for formal adoption at a business meeting (staff suggested Nov. 3, consent agenda) but acknowledged council preference to review the finance integration first; council leadership directed staff to proceed with light edits for communications and to bring the planning'commission edits and fiscal integration back to committee for full review prior to final adoption.

Ending: The functional plan remains on track for formal adoption after staff integrates the planning commission edits and provides the council with the requested finance/CIP crosswalk; impact fee modeling will follow once the plan is adopted.