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Alexandria fire chief reports improved staffing, accreditation and new four-shift schedule
Summary
Fire Chief Hernandez told council the department achieved accreditation, cut annual attrition, filled vacancies and implemented a fourth-shift schedule averaging ~49 hours per week to increase rest and improve retention; the department reported 40 promotions with near 50% diverse selections.
Chief Hernandez and Assistant Chief Michael Cross updated the City Council on the Alexandria Fire Department's operations, staffing and planned changes to work schedules.
The chief reported the department currently operates nine fire stations and described recent personnel gains: an overall staffing level near 475 FTEs, a low vacancy rate reported at about 1.7 percent, and an attrition rate that the chief said has fallen from a ten-year average near 2.1 resignations per month (and earlier peaks around 3.3/month) to approximately 1.1 per month in the most recent year. The department added FTEs in the budget for a full-time operational medical director and completed promotions for 40 employees, with 48 percent of promoted candidates identified as diverse hires (minorities and/or women).
Chief Hernandez said the department achieved accreditation this year and plans to maintain annual compliance reporting to retain that status; he also outlined a move from a three-shift model to a fourth-shift schedule that averages roughly a 49-hour work week but provides longer rest periods between shifts (about 48 hours) and the option structure the chief said will reduce holdovers and improve wellness and recruitment. The chief said the transition will require transferring 50'60 personnel to reassign shifts and that some scheduling challenges are expected during implementation.
Council members congratulated the department on accreditation and asked whether lessons from the department's retention and communication approaches could be applied to other city departments. The chief emphasized hands-on communication, transparency and accountability with members as key drivers of improved morale and retention. No council action was requested or taken.
