Richmond fire chief reports outreach, station additions and a 54% overtime reduction

Jeffrey Siegel, Richmond’s fire chief, told the Public Safety Standing Committee the fire department has added apparatus and two stations, expanded community outreach and training, and reduced overtime through proactive hiring and organizational changes.

Siegel said the department added four units in 2023 and opened two new stations in the past year to support growth and response times. He said the department expects to bring back an on-site burn training building at the fire training academy within a year, which will allow more live-burn training locally.

The department reported intensive community-risk reduction work: firefighters knocked on roughly 14,500 homes in the months cited and the number had climbed toward 17,000 as outreach continued; staff have installed more than 450 smoke alarms during that work. Siegel said the department has invested in hazmat monitoring equipment and river-rescue resources and has trained firefighters as part of a rescue task force for active-shooter scenarios in partnership with police.

Siegel said a combination of controlled vacancies, dynamic staffing, employee-engagement work and new recruit classes contributed to a reported 54% reduction in overtime since March. He told the committee a recruit class is planned for June 2026 and that continued use of data-driven predictive response modeling and CIP recommendations (including adding a downtown station and replacing Station 18) will support future coverage.

Council members asked about the location of the burn building (Siegel said it is at the training academy in Sandston), whether outreach includes apartments (yes; the department will install alarms when needed), and efforts to recruit from growing Hispanic communities; Siegel said targeted engagement and bilingual outreach are in progress.

The committee thanked the department for presentations and asked for follow-up information on key CIP recommendations and staffing projections.