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Fire chief warns budget cuts could force recruit-delay, council pushes to keep classes on schedule
Summary
Fire Chief Frank McKinley told the Finance Committee that an $8.6 million reduction to the Cincinnati Fire Department budget could require delaying recruit and paramedic classes and eliminating peak-demand units; multiple councilmembers urged the department not to delay recruit classes, saying overtime is necessary to maintain safety.
Frank McKinley, chief of the Cincinnati Fire Department, briefed the Finance Committee on staffing, overtime and operational performance. McKinley said roughly 92% of the department’s operating budget goes to compensation and that a 5.1% cut would amount to about $8.6 million for CFD.
McKinley outlined a range of potential cost-saving measures if cuts are required, including delaying a recruit class by eight months (which he estimated could save roughly $2.78 million) and postponing paramedic school or eliminating peak-demand ambulance units. He cautioned those steps could increase overtime pressure and reduce frontline staffing resilience.
“We want to make sure that we don’t compromise service delivery,” McKinley said, adding that the department has already reduced overtime hours about 25% since 2024 and is pursuing an overtime task force to identify efficiencies. He also highlighted performance wins: CFD met NFPA response standards and achieved high marks from the American Heart Association on cardiac and stroke response.
Several councilmembers, including Johnson and Walsh, urged against delaying recruit classes. “Until we adequately fund the fire department, overtime is a necessity,” Councilmember Johnson said, opposing class delays on public-safety grounds. Councilmembers also asked for more detailed fleet needs and dollar estimates to inform budget planning.
The committee filed the presentation for the record and asked CFD to provide detailed fleet and staffing projections for the budget process.
