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Round Rock debate over Proposition B centers on firefighter staffing, NFPA standards and charter wording
Summary
Residents, firefighter representatives and a national union presenter traded claims about staffing gaps and safety as Round Rock prepares to put Proposition B—an ordinance proposing minimum staffing and performance standards—before voters; council heard detailed IAFF GIS data and multiple public comments for and against the charter change.
Public comment and expert testimony at the Round Rock City Council meeting focused on a ballot measure known as Proposition B, which would enshrine minimum staffing and performance standards for the Round Rock Fire Department in the city charter and was the subject of petitions that placed it on the ballot.
Residents and current and former fire officials offered sharply different views on whether the charter is the right place for staffing rules. Gary Oldham, a 20‑year Round Rock resident and former fire‑service official, said the city dispatches more apparatus than national norms and urged voters to back Proposition B: “I would encourage a yes vote on Proposition B,” he said.
Giselle Schaffer, a former civil‑service commissioner who said she supports firefighters’ goals, urged citizens to vote NO on Prop B. Schaffer told the council she supports the standards but argued that charter language risks legal conflicts and that staffing levels and performance standards are usually adopted through memoranda of understanding or resolutions rather than constitutional changes.
Representing firefighter voices, Billy Colburn, a former Round Rock battalion chief and past president of the Round Rock Firefighter Association, reviewed decades of studies and internal reports he said documented unfilled recommendations on staffing, station locations and response performance. Colburn described call‑volume growth and cited several past reports that recommended additional stations and minimum daily staffing to meet national recommendations.
Michael Glenn, district vice president for the International Association of Firefighters, presented the IAFF’s GIS study and explained relevant National Fire Protection Association benchmarks. He summarized NFPA 1710 standards and response‑time goals and highlighted that a four‑person crew per suppression apparatus is the industry standard: “First, all fire suppression apparatus…should be staffed with 4 firefighters,” Glenn said, and he explained how four‑person staffing increases coverage and shortens critical task times compared with smaller crews.
Glenn said the IAFF analysis of Round Rock CAD data shows current coverage falls well short of NFPA benchmarks for many incident types and that meeting the four‑person staffing standard would materially increase coverage across the city’s road network.
Council members and city staff did not take formal action on Proposition B at the meeting. The mayor indicated he remained opposed to placing staffing minimums in the charter because of potential unintended consequences and urged residents to review materials on the city website. Staff said internal GIS and administrative materials would be reviewed in light of the testimony.
Next steps: the petition process will place Proposition B on the ballot for voters to decide; council members and staff said they will continue to examine the reports and data presented to the council.
