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Fire chief seeks equipment and apparatus reserve; plans for medical response expansion discussed
Summary
Fire department staff asked council to fund annual apparatus reserves, new extrication tools and radios, and said the department averages about 30 calls per month; staff also described a plan to add medical-response capability pending EMT training and coordination with ambulance providers.
Fire department staff presented preliminary 2026 budget requests focused on safety, certifications and long-term apparatus replacement.
Shane, representing the department, told council the full-time fire crew averages about one call a day and that the department is fully staffed with six full-time firefighters. He asked for increases to line items including annual physicals (now required by OSHA/NFPA), training and modest public-information funding. "We are fully staffed, so we have six full-time firefighters," he said.
On capital priorities, Shane requested ongoing annual contributions to a fire apparatus replacement fund—$92,000 per year—to avoid asking the council for large, one-time sums when front-line apparatus needs replacement. Shane estimated a replacement engine would cost roughly $850,000 under current market conditions and said the department seeks steady set-asides rather than ad-hoc appropriations.
The department also requested funding for turnout gear, a battery-operated extrication tool to allow smaller crews to start rescues more quickly, an enclosed trailer to standardize regional rescue equipment deployment, and a gas-trace detector that reads combustible-gas levels from outside a structure to reduce firefighter exposure.
Shane described a union-backed grant that allowed the department to provide CO detectors during home-safety visits; those donations reduced the department's need to spend budgeted outreach funds this year. He also said one staff member is enrolled in EMT training and the department hopes to assist with medical calls at the ambulance service’s request; any budget impacts will be evaluated before expansion.
Council asked for supporting spreadsheets and cost breakdowns. No formal vote occurred at the workshop; staff will provide more detailed capital plans and justification for the proposed apparatus fund.
