Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire And Emergency Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire chief requests three firefighter‑EMT hires and lists capital needs, cites $140,000 GEMT revenue offset
Summary
Fire Chief Schmidt asked the council for three additional firefighter‑EMTs (year‑one cost ~$231,181) to improve staffing relief and cut overtime; he also outlined capital needs including a possible $1.1M engine, mobile radio upgrades and station planning, and said the city expects roughly $140,000 in GEMT‑type reimbursement revenue.
Chief Schmidt presented the fire and ambulance budget July 7, outlining staffing, equipment and facility requests and fielding extensive council questions.
Chief Schmidt said the department is requesting three additional firefighter‑EMTs who would be required to become paramedics within three years; he quoted a first‑year personnel cost of about $231,181.23. He tied the request to a staffing “relief factor” produced by ESCI — multiply the department’s 19 minimum daily staffing by a relief factor (3.75) and you arrive at roughly 71.25 positions needed to cover absences, training and deployments. "The impact of adding those 3 ... would improve our our relief factor to 3.78," he said, describing how the hires would reduce mandatory overtime and fatigue risk.
Schmidt said the city recently enrolled in a state reimbursement program described in the presentation as a GEMT‑type program and projected about $140,000 in additional revenue from that program; he explained the intergovernmental transfer accounting mechanics the budget uses to show the federal reimbursement and stated the net operating effect would be roughly a $24,000 reduction after counting the program’s flows.
On capital, Schmidt listed carryovers and new items: tech‑rescue equipment (~$205,000), a delayed ambulance order arriving next summer, mobile radios for reserve vehicles (~$102,000), ongoing bunker‑gear rotation ($75,000 a year to buy 12 sets annually), and a possible engine replacement estimated at $1.1 million (2–3‑year lead time). He said Station 3 is running about $200,000 under a $5.041M contract and that Station 1’s A/C replacement unexpectedly quoted around $183,200 with a ~12‑week lead time.
Councilors probed how the hires would affect overtime and vacancy savings. Schmidt and finance staff said vacancy savings were modest (about $47,000 actuals against budget last year), that current vacancies (about six) raise overtime costs, and that adding three positions could offset an estimated $80,000–$100,000 in overtime if hiring and deployment scenarios track as projected. "I'm guessing 80 to 100,000," Schmidt said when asked about expected overtime savings.
Members and staff discussed workforce pipelines and training: the department typically runs small in‑house training classes (6 maximum), has a six‑month maximum probationary training period and then longer paramedic certification timelines. Schmidt said the city had an unusually large applicant pool this cycle (71 applicants) and expected to identify a hiring list sufficient to fill current openings.
Councilors also asked about station planning for aging Station 2 (built in 1957). Staff suggested an October–November study session to examine site options, response‑time circles and financing scenarios. Schmidt also explained the procurement approach for apparatus — using Sourcewell and other buying groups when appropriate to reduce lead times and cost compared with heavy customization.
The council did not take a vote on personnel or capital items at this meeting; staff will deliver budget worksheets and follow up materials and the council proposed a study session on station planning.
