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Fire department warns turnout‑gear inflation and station debt will squeeze 2026 budget
Summary
Assistant Fire Chief Trenton Close told the council the fire department faces turnout‑gear inflation (sets now around $4,500), rising call volume (420 → ~450), and a $1.4 million annual debt service for a new station over 25 years; recruitment for paid on‑call firefighters will begin in fall.
Assistant Fire Chief Trenton Close told the City of Victoria council that the Community Safety Department’s budget is under pressure from rising equipment costs, increasing call volumes and multi‑year debt for a new station.
"Turnout gear is up to around $4,500 for just a set of turnout gear, which is up about 15% from last year," Close said, pointing to year‑over‑year inflation in protective equipment. He added the department follows NFPA/OSHA guidance that turnout gear has a useful life of 10 years and described a staggered purchasing plan (about eight sets purchased per year) so replacements are phased rather than bought all at once.
Close also described operational changes intended to limit overtime and speed response: daytime station crews and a duty‑crew model allowed staff to handle roughly 30% of calls last year and cut daytime response times by about half. He said the department handled a record 420 calls last year and is on pace for about 450 calls this year, and that recruitment for paid on‑call firefighters will begin in the fall to build the roster toward a preferred range of roughly 30–35 on‑call personnel.
On capital costs, Close said debt service on a new fire station will be about $1.4 million annually for the next 25 years. He noted the new station is expected to be occupied in summer 2026, subject to construction/weather delays, and that the facility will also house the building department and an office for the sheriff’s office.
Close highlighted grant and mutual‑aid support as partial offsets: a $2,500 grant from Minnesota Valley Electric funded a replacement Blitz Fire unit, and the department received an LSU (life‑safety unit) rehab/drone trailer (reported cost about $18,000) fully funded by the Carver County Fire Department Mutual Aid Association.
What happens next: Close said the department will bring recruitment outcomes, equipment replacement schedules and staffing‑level recommendations into the budget process. Council members asked follow‑up questions about replacement cycles, recruitment targets and whether current staffing is sufficient for increasing call volumes.
Attribution: All quotes and figures are attributable to Assistant Fire Chief Trenton Close in the workshop transcript.
