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Waynesville council approves fire‑department reclassifications after department cites high incident overlap
Summary
Council approved reclassifying four engineer positions to shift lieutenants to improve supervision after fire staff presented incident‑overlap data showing call volumes frequently exceed national thresholds for adding units.
The Waynesville council approved a request from the fire department to reclassify four engineer positions to create shift lieutenants, a change staff said will improve supervision and operational performance during periods of high call overlap.
Assistant Fire Chief Teddy Barton described incident overlap (multiple emergency incidents occurring before prior responses clear) and said the department has exceeded the 10% incident‑overlap threshold used nationally by roughly threefold in recent reporting. Barton said reclassification would not add personnel but would adjust ranks to provide an additional supervisory layer and enhance response flexibility. He described an incident sequence in which five calls occurred within 90 minutes, including a working structure fire with a trapped occupant, and said those situations highlighted the need for stronger on‑shift supervision.
Council members and staff discussed staffing numbers, the benefit of prior temporary posts, and budget planning for longer‑term hiring; a motion to approve the reclassification passed by voice vote.
Next steps: personnel reclassifications to be implemented with human resources and finance; council noted future budget cycles may include requests for additional full‑time staffing if call volumes continue to rise.
