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Edmond says fire department is understaffed but daily coverage maintained
Summary
Fire leadership reported six vacancies and multiple recent resignations but told council there have been no gaps in daily emergency coverage; two firefighter‑paramedic hires are nearing conditional offers and staff aim to have new hires on duty by Jan. 1.
The city’s fire leadership told the Edmond City Council that the fire department has seen several recent departures and currently has six vacancies, but insisted that daily emergency coverage remains intact.
During a staff report covering Oct. 16–Dec. 9 activity, the chief reported a total of 207 incidents in the period and an average response time of 4 minutes 36 seconds from dispatch to on‑scene. The chief said mutual‑aid exchanges occurred and listed incident types including medical calls, vehicle accidents and structure fires.
On staffing, the chief said two firefighter‑paramedic candidates have completed chief interviews and multiple hiring phases and are awaiting the conclusion of background investigations, after which conditional offers will be extended. The chief described filling two budgeted positions by upgrading current part‑time firefighter EMTs to full‑time roles to stabilize operations while continuing recruitment for paramedics.
Council members asked for specifics about vacancies and coverage. One council member summarized the status: "So you have 3 full time openings right now?" The chief answered: "3 full time openings." When asked whether there were any gaps in service he replied, "Thus far, we do not have any gaps… We have not won a single shift without having the appropriate personnel certified to the ambulance and to the truck." The chief said the goal is to have the new positions filled before January 1 and to complete field‑training and onboarding promptly.
The chief also named two recently departed longtime firefighters, Dalton Ingram and Patrick Hokett, and described services being planned to honor one of them. Council and staff emphasized appreciation for the remaining personnel who have filled additional duties.
Next steps: staff will complete background investigations and issue conditional offers where appropriate; council did not take formal action but asked staff to continue recruitment and onboarding to meet the Jan. 1 target.
