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Fire chief reports record monthly calls and warns of staffing and apparatus strain
Summary
Chief Albert told the Public Safety Commission the department logged 392 calls in May — its highest monthly total — and described heavy overtime, 1,500 hours of connected leave costing about $100,000, and escalating apparatus-replacement costs that may force less-customized purchases.
Chief Albert, the city's fire chief, told the Public Safety Commission on June 15 that the department handled 392 calls in the past month, the highest monthly volume on record and roughly 40 calls more than the previous busiest month. He said the surge included mutual aid responses and a drone assist with the police department in the Westlake area.
The chief said overtime is "extremely heavy" because of staff on light duty, workers' compensation cases, Family and Medical Leave Act absences and a current 400-day military deployment. He reported the department has used more than 1,500 hours of connected basic leave this year and estimated that at "just firefighter pay" the leave cost was about $100,000, a significant fiscal impact on the city's emergency budget.
Equipment and apparatus availability is adding operational strain, the chief said. Engine 1 has been out of service for almost two months while custom leaf-spring parts were sourced; the parts shipped over the weekend and the engine is expected back in one to two weeks. He warned that long outages of a front-line rig create a domino effect of wear on spare units.
On procurement, Chief Albert explained the city's purchasing procedures require full funding up front even when delivery is several years out. He said quoted prices have risen substantially since he first sought estimates and cited an increase of about $5,060,000 in total price comparisons since his initial inquiry. That escalation, he said, may force the department to consider off-the-lot, less-customized engines that could be roughly $300,000 cheaper per unit, trading customization for lower up-front cost and faster availability.
Chief Albert said engine 3 received a new motor about 18 months ago, which provides some breathing room, but he urged the commission to work with the mayor and finance department to reestablish a multiyear apparatus-replacement program (past purchases used ARPA and CDBG funds). He framed that work as necessary to avoid repeating the current predicament and to plan for 10–15 years ahead.
The commission approved the minutes from the May 18, 2026 meeting earlier in the evening and heard no members of the public during the agenda-only public hearing. The meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m.
