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Fire chief outlines needs assessment, $1.4M budget and timetable for station and equipment planning
Summary
Fire Chief Valery Croster briefed the committee on a needs assessment covering personnel, fleet and stations; staff said $1.4 million is in the proposed budget for the initiative, with scope finalized by year‑end and evaluations and RFP work stretching into 2027.
Fire Chief Valery Croster presented an initial needs assessment for the San Antonio Fire Department that will guide future capital projects, staffing and fleet planning.
"San Antonio ... está creciendo muy rápidamente, y eso impacta directamente la demanda sobre los servicios de emergencia y bomberos," Croster said, summarizing the rationale for a comprehensive assessment. She told the committee the proposed budget includes $1.4 million for the initiative and outlined a timeline to finish the scope of work by year‑end, issue an RFP, select consultants and complete the evaluation by the following summer, with capital planning carried into 2027.
Croster said the assessment will follow national standards and include station siting, replacement needs and a master plan for capital projects. Councilmembers raised planning‑horizon questions, suggesting 10‑ to 15‑year scenarios, and emphasized the difficulty of finding sites for new stations; members asked staff to include demographic growth projections and to involve fire associations in the work.
Staff said some stations to be replaced have already been identified and that the assessment is intended to provide data for bonds and future capital programming.
