Boulder City fire chief urges hiring and new station after risk assessment shows staffing gaps and rising EMS calls

The Boulder City Fire Department warned the City Council Tuesday that rising call volumes and understaffing are widening service gaps and increasing response‑time risk across the city.

Chief Ken Morgan presented the department’s updated community risk assessment, noting Boulder City serves roughly 15,000 residents — a population with a higher‑than‑average share of seniors — across a 212‑square‑mile response area that includes the municipal airport, major roadways and recreational areas. Morgan said emergency medical services account for roughly 70–77% of all calls and that the department handled about 6,000 EMS calls during the 2023–2025 period.

Morgan said the department currently staffs eight people per shift with a practical daily minimum of seven; the department’s ideal operational target would be 10 on duty to reliably support both fire and EMS needs. Geographic coverage from the single station produces multiple response zones that regularly exceed national standards; Chief Morgan said improving to the national target response time would ultimately require additional stations in the northwest and southwest of the city.

To close gaps, Morgan proposed a phased plan. Near‑term steps include completing an administrative/training building (estimated at about $2.7 million, of which the department reported a funding shortfall of roughly $440–460K) and hiring three additional firefighters at an estimated annual cost of roughly $632,000–$684,000 (depending on benefits and figures from finance). That hiring, Morgan said, would reduce mandatory overtime, allow regular staffing of a third transport in a portion of shifts and establish a better foundation for later station builds. Longer‑term options included modular station construction and two additional fire stations (estimated in council discussion at roughly $3.5–5 million each), as well as fee and grant options to offset costs.

Council members and the public asked about alternatives, including outsourcing transport, franchising ambulance services and instituting lift‑assist fees for medical facilities; Morgan said each option required further vetting and that outsourcing could risk delays and lost Medicare reimbursement. He also highlighted mutual‑aid partnerships with Henderson Fire and Clark County that frequently cover large incidents and station coverage when Boulder City apparatus are committed.

Chief Morgan said he would pursue federal grant opportunities (AFG and SAFER) and recommended the council consider phased budget decisions to fund the first steps; city finance staff and the mayor suggested the council could consider reprioritizing capital projects to provide required seed money.

What happens next: Chief Morgan said step one (administrative/training building) is in progress but needs additional funds; council members asked staff to explore funding scenarios and to return with details during the budget process.