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Fire chief asks council to fund six firefighters to begin phased shift change tied to SAFER grant
Summary
The fire chief requested six firefighter positions (first‑year half‑year cost cited at about $59,000) as the start of a four‑year phased move from a 24/48 to a 24/72 shift schedule, contingent on a FEMA SAFER grant that would cover 75% of the positions in the first two years; capital needs including station repairs and a rebid burn‑building were also detailed.
Hopewell’s fire chief presented the department’s FY27 budget request and asked council to fund six firefighter positions as an initial phase of a four‑year plan to change shift scheduling and reduce annual shift counts per employee.
The chief described operational challenges the department faces — frequent EMS call volume, apparatus cross‑staffing and daytime/nighttime call pressure — and said the request is intended both to keep a new ladder truck reliably in service and to begin shifting the department from a 24/48 schedule to a 24/72 model used by many EMS providers. "This year, as I said, we're asking for $59,000," the chief said, describing that as a half‑year funding request contingent on obtaining a SAFER grant. The chief said FEMA’s SAFER program would fund 75% of the positions for the first two years and 25% in year three if awarded.
Capital needs were emphasized: station repairs (including a leaking roof at Station 1 and sewer problems at Station 2) and a previously bid burn‑building replacement that returned unexpectedly high bids. After reworking the procurement approach the chief reported a revised deficit estimate for the burn‑building project of about $262,000.
The chief also framed the staffing and schedule proposal as a health and safety initiative, citing research on fatigue and firefighter health and outlining projected long‑term costs if council phases in the full staffing request (the presentation included multi‑year cost projections showing scaled increases as additional staffing phases proceed).
What happens next: the request is tied to a SAFER grant application; if the grant is awarded the city would be asked to cover the local match and ongoing costs that follow in subsequent budget cycles. The chief said even the initial six positions would provide immediate operational benefits and improved ladder‑truck availability.
