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Fire department requests training funds and grant match as 2025 call volume rises
Summary
The fire chief said the department handled 13,081 calls in 2025 and is seeking $72,000 to fund off-duty training and a $50,000 equipment allocation as a 10% match for a pending federal grant; officials said four positions are covered by a SAFER grant.
Fire Chief Womack told the Executive and Finance Committee the department has 90 members and responded to 13,081 calls for service in 2025, and presented a largely steady 2026 budget with two targeted increases.
Chief Womack said the department requested an additional $72,000 in overtime funding so members can receive essential off-duty training without constant interruption from calls. "The fire department runs very cost efficient by conducting 99% of its training on duty," he said, but at roughly 13,000 calls a year it is increasingly difficult to provide consistent on-duty training.
The proposed budget also includes a $50,000 increase in the 'other equipment' line — described as a 10% match for a federal grant application submitted in 2025. Womack said the department has not received final word on the grant award but wants the match earmarked in case the federal funds are awarded.
Staff also noted four positions are currently paid for by a SAFER (staffing for adequate fire and emergency response) federal grant, and that the general-fund staffing count is 86 full-time equivalents with additional grant-funded posts. Councilors questioned retirement/separation pay practices and whether budgeting for retirements should be set aside in advance; finance staff said the administration may revise that treatment before the first reading of budget legislation.
No formal vote on the fire budget occurred at the hearing; the committee scheduled follow-up review as part of the broader budget process.
