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Pasadena fire chief lays out 10‑year plan: new engines, ambulances and a possible parcel tax to fund $100M+ of upgrades
Summary
Fire Chief Chad Augustine presented a plan to add apparatus and staffing—targeting an additional suppression company, two ambulances (moving toward eight daily), a third ladder truck and a ninth station—and estimated infrastructure and personnel costs exceeding $200 million over 10 years, prompting mention of a parcel tax to fund capital and ongoing needs.
Fire Chief Chad Augustine told residents that Pasadena’s call volume has grown substantially while station infrastructure and daily staffing have not kept pace, and presented a phased 10‑year plan to close service gaps.
Augustine said Pasadena currently operates eight fire stations and noted that several are functionally obsolete; he described a short‑term staffing win (the recent addition of a second daily battalion chief), mid‑range goals to add another suppression company and ambulance, and long‑range aims to add a ninth station, a third ladder truck and two additional ambulances so stations can meet national response‑time standards.
The chief provided ballpark costs: a new engine is about $1.5 million, an ambulance roughly $500,000, and rebuilding a station could be in the tens of millions (he referenced $30–38 million per station in future dollars). Combined infrastructure needs were described as just over $100 million with roughly $113 million estimated for personnel and apparatus in the 10‑year horizon. Augustine said the city may consider a parcel tax to fund year‑round brush clearance programs, station rebuilding and staffing—again stressing that such a measure would go to voters.
Residents and a retired commander asked about workforce diversity and training‑site continuity; Augustine noted recent hires and promotions (including the first female battalion chief) and said the department uses Jefferson Elementary for recruit training under a contract that expires next year, meaning a permanent training site will be needed.
What happens next: the chief said the department will continue developing cost estimates and program details, and the council and staff will consider funding options (including a potential parcel‑tax proposal) that would require voter approval.
