Bradley County fire leaders warn understaffing and aging fleet risk safety; request $3.2M first-year budget increase

Bradley County Fire Rescue leaders told the county commission at a public meeting that low pay, high turnover and an aging fleet are creating safety and operational risks, and they asked commissioners to consider a multi-million-dollar increase in the department budget during the upcoming budget cycle.

“No one wants to lose qualified people, but we are losing them to neighboring agencies that pay more,” said Noah Scribe, a lieutenant and president of the Bradley County Fire and EMS Association. Scribe said the department’s starting pay is $38,000 and that its retention rate is about 31 percent. “We’re requesting immediate increase to stop the bleeding,” he said, asking the commission to approve $1,336,421.39 for salary and benefits changes in year one and an additional $680,784 to staff 12 more full-time personnel.

The presentation laid out two options for replacing apparatus. Option 1 would add roughly $1 million a year for three years to buy one engine a year and then maintain a $500,000 annual replacement contribution; Option 2 would…