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Dubuque Fire Chief seeks staffing, station study and equipment funding in FY27 budget
Summary
Fire Chief Amy Scheller told the council the department will raise minimum suppression staffing from 24 to 26 when five new firefighters finish probation and is requesting nine firefighter‑paramedic positions tied to a SAFER grant; the department also proposed a station feasibility study and multiple capital projects.
Fire Chief Amy Scheller presented the Dubuque Fire Department’s fiscal 2027 request, highlighting staffing, accreditation and facility planning as priorities.
Scheller said five firefighters currently in the academy will come off probation in June, allowing the department to increase minimum suppression staffing from 24 to 26. The department requested nine firefighter‑paramedic positions through an improvement package linked to a successful SAFER grant; Scheller told council the SAFER funding will phase out and the city would gradually absorb those positions into the general fund over subsequent years.
The department is pursuing accreditation and reported 8,259 calls for service in 2025, with 6,686 EMS incidents (about 80% of total calls) and approximately 5,200 resulting in hospital transports. Scheller described technology pilots such as Cradlepoint mobile networking and noted a 2026 fire‑boat replacement with an estimated May 2026 in‑service date.
Scheller asked for a station feasibility study tied to the city’s comprehensive fire station location and facility study; consultants have been selected and draft recommendations are expected around September–October. She also described prevention initiatives including an expanded community AED program and a new Explorer Program to aid recruitment.
The presentation listed requested property tax support just over $13.1 million for the fire department and estimated the average homeowner share at $203.
Councilmembers praised the department’s response times and training efforts and asked about long‑term funding if grant support diminishes. Scheller said the city planned to bank some of the one‑time revenues and phase positions into the base budget.
Next steps: improvement packages and the station feasibility recommendations will be considered as part of final FY27 budget deliberations.
