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Asheville Fire Chief outlines plan for fourth shift; Council presses for staffing and overtime clarity
Summary
Fire Chief Mike Case told Council the department plans to add a fourth shift on Aug. 1 by redistributing existing staff and using "debit days" to meet daily minimum staffing. Staff said they do not currently project a major overtime increase but acknowledged the city still needs to evaluate funding for 16 requested firefighter positions that are not yet in the FY27 budget.
During the budget work session, staff said departments submitted $7.5 million in new funding requests for FY27, including 38 positions and a $1.4 million request for 16 firefighters tied to implementing a fourth shift.
Fire Chief Mike Case described the operational plan: the current three-shift system (A, B and C) with roughly 86 firefighters per shift would be redistributed across four shifts (A'D), creating mid-60 staffing allocations on each shift. To meet the 73-on-duty minimum, the department will use "debit days," bringing additional staff from other shifts as needed approximately every eight shifts, Chief Case said. He said the change would reduce average weekly hours for firefighters from roughly 56 to about 52.6 and that the department does not project a significant overtime increase from the adjustment, though he acknowledged overtime and time-off impacts will continue to be monitored.
Council asked how long the department can operate the fourth shift without funding the 16 requested positions and pressed for clarity on overtime and staffing assumptions. Staff said the city will implement the shift using existing staffing for immediate operational improvements but that the requested positions would be necessary for a fully staffed, long-term model.
Next steps: Chief Case and budget staff will provide additional details on projected overtime, the timeline for adding positions, and the operational impacts of debit days to help Council evaluate whether to allocate funding in the proposed FY27 budget.
