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Fire chief says rising calls and staff losses justify funding 8 firefighters; council approves staffing package 8–1
Summary
Fire Chief Pelletier told the council the fire/EMS call volume has climbed to 10,843 last year, that unit-hour utilization and burnout have spiked and that adding eight firefighters is needed for 24/7 coverage; the council passed the critical and high-priority staffing package in an 8–1 vote.
Chief Pelletier told the Bangor City Council that the fire and EMS workload has grown substantially and that staffing losses and high unit-hour utilization (UHU) are producing burnout and service risk.
"Last year, we responded to, just under 11,000 calls, 10,843," Pelletier said, describing a call volume that the department’s current operational model (three ambulances) does not match. He said the department lost 35 employees since Feb. 23, with 27 departures tied to burnout, and that unit-hour utilization above 0.5 indicates crews are committed to calls more than half their shift time — a contributor to fatigue and attrition.
Pelletier described a pilot that hired four paramedics to staff expanded daytime coverage and said those four would help daytime capacity but that eight additional positions are required to maintain a fourth unit around the clock. Council members asked about retention risks and the feasibility of hiring and keeping more personnel; Pelletier said the department is actively recruiting and that added coverage should improve morale and reduce overtime.
After discussion of feasibility and a request for implementation planning, the council voted 8–1 to approve the combined critical and high-priority positions — the scenario that assumes funding eight firefighters. Several councilors asked staff to report back on metrics tying hires to response times, overtime reduction and cost offsets.
