Fire Chief Darren Burrier told the Committee on Public Safety, Emergency Management and Your Guam National Guard on Jan. 12 that the Guam Fire Department (GFD) is operating below its staffing and equipment targets as it prepares to submit material under a new performance‑based budgeting framework.

"We need about 314 personnel, and we currently are at 236 personnel," Burrier said during a presentation of the department’s key performance indicators. He also reported targets and current counts for other roles and equipment: 28 EMD 9‑1‑1 call takers (24 currently), 20 administrative staff (6 currently), 12 fire trucks (9 currently) and a desired aerial truck, which GFD does not operate at present.

The presentation laid out operational KPIs used to link resource requests to measurable outcomes. Burrier reported high call‑handling performance against national standards: GFD’s call answer rate exceeded the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) target (the department reported 99% within the 10‑second standard). He said average call processing, callback compliance and call transfer rates were also high.

Response‑time and containment figures showed gaps. Burrier said average response time was about 8 minutes, 6 seconds (the department’s target is 8 minutes for 90% of calls). Turnout times—the interval from alarm receipt to a unit leaving station—were reported at about 134 seconds versus internal targets ranging from 60 to 80 seconds. Dual arrival performance (the share of incidents meeting NFPA dual‑arrival standards) was reported at 86% against a 90% target. Fires contained to the room of origin were 62% versus a 75% target; Burrier attributed some containment shortfalls to substandard housing constructed of wood and tin.

Burrier highlighted successful outcomes as well: a reported cardiac‑arrest survival rate of 62%, attributed to GFD’s pit‑crew CPR approach and expanded on‑scene paramedic care, and a rescue success rate near 90%.

On workforce development, Burrier said inspection timeliness and training hours compare favorably to targets—inspections completion was near 99% and he reported roughly 60 training hours per month per firefighter (target cited as 20). Certification compliance stood at 81% with several staff pending pro‑board processing.

The chief also summarized external funding and collection challenges. He said GFD secured roughly $21.3 million in external grants this year for station hardening, generators, land acquisition and vehicle acquisition, and reported that fee and fine collections are running at about a 35% collection rate against a $2 million billing baseline.

Senator Kumatato praised the presentation and said the committee will use the KPIs to inform FY2027 budgeting. The chair requested follow‑up documentation and told the department the committee expects regular updates and additional quarterly oversight hearings.

The hearing concluded with committee promises to review provided materials and follow up on specific items including more detailed overtime data and documentary proof of transfers related to the NG9‑1‑1 contract.