Fire chief urges aldermen to back station renovations and equipment upgrades amid rising apparatus costs

Waterbury’s fire chief told the Board of Aldermen on May 12 that deferred maintenance across the city’s stations has left the department with pressing capital needs and substantial equipment costs.

"Deferred maintenance has resulted in deterioration and disrepair of all the fire stations," the chief said, explaining why the department placed multiple station renovations high in the capital plan. The mayor’s proposed five‑year capital plan includes a $12 million placeholder for station replacement or major renovations in a later year of the plan; finance staff said the proposal was moved to FY28 based on construction timing and other bond authorizations already in process.

The chief and fire staff also described equipment needs. "Apparatus prices have gone up over 50% in the last few years," the chief said, noting an aerial apparatus that previously cost about $1.1 million now bids near $2.1 million. Members discussed options for acquiring apparatus — buying demo units and pursuing grant or legal remedies other cities have considered.

Staffing and inspections: the department said it has 238 total employees with roughly 205 suppression personnel; current vacancies include eight suppression positions and several upcoming retirements the chief expects could reduce staffing later in the summer. Fire Marshal Tom Fitzgerald said the bureau increased multi‑family inspections roughly 200% over last year and set a goal to perform about 1,200 inspections annually going forward.

What’s next: aldermen pressed the chief and finance staff on bond timing and how the administration will prioritize station renovations amid other capital needs. The administration said it will continue seeking federal and state grant funding to reduce the city share of large projects.