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Richardson Fire Department reports staffing shortfalls, hiring surge and bond requests in annual briefing
Summary
The city’s fire chief told council the department is short about 11 sworn and three civilian staff, plans to hire 18 new firefighters for an academy in July, reported large training and response volumes, and outlined bond projects and staffing changes tied to the fire master plan.
Fire Chief Poovey presented the Richardson Fire Department’s 2025 annual report and framed it as both a status update and a “budget deep dive” ahead of the FY 2027–28 budget process. He told council the department is about 11 sworn positions and three civilian positions short, and described a recent recruitment drive that produced roughly 652 applicants, 330 test-takers, and 132 candidates advancing to interviews; the department expects to hire 18 people to start an academy in early July.
"We're 11 personnel down on the sworn side and then 3 personnel down on the civilian side," Chief Poovey said, and described plans to address the shortages through a multi-step hiring process and an academy. He also…
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