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Garland committee reviews $13–$16M estimate to move fire and EMS to 24/72 shifts, considers smaller-cost partnership option
Summary
City staff told the Fire & EMS stakeholder committee that switching to a 24/72 schedule could cost an estimated $13–$16 million per year if Garland retained ambulance transports, requiring roughly 87 new positions; a transport partnership could reduce net cost to $0–$5 million but would shift EMS revenue to a private partner.
Garland’s Fire & EMS Stakeholder Committee on its third meeting reviewed preliminary cost estimates and budget trade-offs for moving the department to a 24/72 shift schedule, a change city staff said would require significant new staffing or an outside transport partnership.
CFO Matt Watson told the committee that an in-house 24/72 model — keeping ambulance transport under the fire department — would likely require about 87 additional positions, raise operational staff to about 348 across four shifts and carry an annual operating cost estimated between $13 million and $16 million. "It's a very complicated task to calculate the exact cost," Watson said, adding that long-term liabilities such as health insurance and COLA must be factored in.
Staff…
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