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Dallas fire chief says staffing and fleet strain driving plan for third ambulance and long-term options
Summary
Fire and EMS Chief Wallace told the Dallas City Council the department handled 5,616 calls in 2025, is operating at 71% unit‑hour utilization, and plans to rotate a third ambulance into service to reduce workload; councilors also discussed exploring consolidation with neighboring fire districts as a longer-term remedy.
Fire and EMS Chief Wallace presented the Dallas City Council with the department's 2025 annual report on May 4, outlining high call volumes, aging apparatus and staffing plans while urging long-term planning to maintain service reliability.
Chief Wallace said the department responded to 5,616 calls for service in 2025, including 3,171 emergency medical (911) calls, and handled 156 interfacility transfers, a 9.7% increase over 2024. "We will continue to respond to our calls for service as we always do," she said, while noting some regional factors are outside the city's control.
The chief warned that unit‑hour utilization'the share of a crew's shift spent on calls, training and equipment work'was about 71% last year, which she described as "not sustainable" because it leaves crews fatigued and can delay responses when units are committed to other incidents. "Seventy‑one percent of their work shift they are on calls, they're…
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