Highland Park fire chief presents 2026–28 strategic plan prioritizing staffing, training and data-driven deployment
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Summary
Fire Chief Schrage presented a community-driven 2026–28 strategic plan emphasizing staffing and deployment analysis, about 22,000 training hours per year, technology improvements and community engagement; councilmembers asked about rising call volumes and possible AI uses.
Chief Schrage presented the Highland Park Fire Department’s 2026–2028 strategic plan to the City Council on April 13, emphasizing staffing, training and technology as priorities for meeting rising service demand.
The plan, described by City Manager Newkirk as included in the meeting packet, grew from community and internal engagement: “123 people responded to the online survey, and then 12 community members and business partners attended the in-person feedback workshop,” Chief Schrage said. He told the council the department comprises “56 members on our fire department, made up of, 53 sworn members and then 3 civilians.”
Why it matters: Council members pressed for context about a noted rise in call volume and whether staffing and deployment need to change. Chief Schrage and City Manager Newkirk framed the increase as part of an industrywide trend and outlined next steps for staffing analysis and improved data use.
Key elements of the plan include: conducting a staffing and deployment study to align resources with demand; sustaining and expanding training (the department estimates about 22,000 hours of training a year); enhancing technology and data dashboards to inform deployment decisions; and continuing public outreach and interdepartmental collaboration. Chief Schrage said the process blended external stakeholders (surveys and workshops) and internal input from all three shifts.
On call volume, Councilmember Littauer referenced a figure cited during the meeting of roughly a 74% increase over 10 years and asked whether Highland Park’s demographics drove the change. Chief Schrage said the department’s experience mirrors a national pattern in which fire services respond to a broader range of incidents and said, “you'll see generally across the nation about a 4% increase per year, for calls for most departments.” City Manager Newkirk added the city previously added three firefighters in recent budgets to help staffing levels.
Councilmember Tapia asked about artificial intelligence and whether tools are being deployed at the ground level. Chief Schrage said the department is “somewhat limited” in certain AI uses because of privacy and HIPAA concerns but that predictive analytics (via GIS staff) and some AI-enabled report functions are being explored for future operational benefit.
Next steps and context: The plan is presented as a roadmap for 2026–2028; councilmembers did not vote on the plan at the meeting. Chief Schrage said the city will pursue additional data analysis, staffing studies and continued community engagement to inform implementation.
