Dallas fire chief says staffing and fleet strain driving plan for third ambulance and long-term options

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 training, they're doing charting, they're restoring the equipment," Chief Wallace said.

To ease workload the department plans to put a third ambulance into a rotating schedule within months if staffing allows; Chief Wallace estimated adding that unit would reduce utilization to roughly 60%. She said a 2026 Ford 550 Bronn ambulance was delivered April 15 and is in the final outfitting stage, with a mid‑June target to enter service.

The presentation outlined fleet needs beyond the new ambulance: a 2003 ladder truck is about 23 years old, approaching NFPA 1901 guidance that recommends retirement after 25 years. Chief Wallace said the department is negotiating remount options for high‑mileage ambulances and working with vendors on timeline and cost decisions.

Staffing and recruitment were a major focus. Chief Wallace said the department currently lists 11 full‑time and 16 part‑time staff, is onboarding additional hires, and plans to recruit three more full‑time employees this year. A partnership with a local fire‑science program has produced interns that the department hopes to convert into part‑time and later full‑time hires after paramedic school.

Training and wellness also drew attention: the department logged 3,663 training hours in 2025, including 452 hours devoted to volunteer drills, and responded to 83 CPR events last year, with five "code saves" and one childbirth in the field. Chief Wallace said the department is developing peer‑support and resiliency training alongside chaplain services to address operational stress.

Chief Wallace described administrative updates including a new contract with Lexipol to modernize department policies, supported in part by a $5,000 CIS grant, and said the department passed its five‑year state EMS inspection. She also noted regional pressures: EMS demand across the region rose about 25% and hospital offload times at Salem and Corvallis hospitals have extended turnaround times for crews.

Councilors used the session to press for follow‑up data and to discuss longer‑term structural options. One councilor asked how many transfers involved FireMed members and how much of the transfer workload produces reimbursement; Chief Wallace said she would gather the detailed figures with the city manager and report back. Several councilors and the chief discussed exploring consolidation or enlarging a district to gain economies of scale in administration, purchasing and resource deployment; they emphasized such changes would be complex, require public approval and likely take years to study and implement.

The council concluded the presentation with praise for the department's recruitment and community work and directed staff to return with requested follow‑up information on transfers and staffing implications. No formal votes were taken at the work session.