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Public urges more firefighters as chief outlines reorganization and role of medical first responders
Summary
Public commenters and council members pressed for more fire personnel as Fire Chief Heckroth presented a reorganization to clarify staffing categories and pay practices; the City Manager said historically there were 25 firefighters but that number was never formally approved. No formal vote occurred.
Mayor Karen Snider presided over the Caro City Council Committee of the Whole on April 30, 2026, where members of the public and councilors pressed the city to address fire-department staffing as Fire Chief Heckroth presented a proposed reorganization.
Several public commenters urged added personnel. Logan Carpenter spoke in favor of increasing membership. Brenda Peters asked for a study of the Medical First Responder (MFR) program to track monthly medical shifts and the role current responders play in those shifts. Pam Iseler and Tanya Batschke called for broad community support for the department. Longtime firefighter Larry Boitel described 46 years of service and emphasized the training time and annual recertification hours required of firefighters. Councilor Jill White said firefighters feel the council believes they are “a waste of money,” a point raised during public comment.
Chief Heckroth presented a reorganization intended to clarify how many employees the department is allowed to have and to categorize those employees. He cited staffing and run statistics from surrounding departments and explained the department’s pay model: personnel receive pay only when they respond to runs, and he said firefighters and medical first responders receive the same run pay. The chief also outlined limits on cadet duties because of liability concerns and provided cost comparisons between medical first responders and firefighters.
Chief Heckroth described how the MFR program is used locally: MFRs are dispatched to priority one calls, to some priority two calls, and occasionally to priority three calls when an ambulance must travel from a distance. Police Chief Brian Newcomb told the committee the MFR program was developed to replace direct payments to ambulance providers by training local firefighters and police officers to assist medical response; he noted the police department also staffs first responders.
City Manager Scott Czasak told the committee that, historically, the city had 25 firefighters but that figure was never formally documented or approved by the council. Councilors and staff discussed the legal and liability limits on cadets and the operational difference between MFR duties and firefighter duties.
No ordinance, staffing cap, or budget amendment was proposed or voted on at the meeting. The item was discussed for information and further consideration; council took no formal action on the reorganization during this session.
